Hotel Schnee
by crazyringo
Summary: The Schnee Family represents perfection, ambition, and most of all order in their everyday life. At least, that's what Weiss previously thought until she took her first official step into her family's business. It looks fine from the outside, but pretty soon the heiress finds out that appearances can be deceiving... First AU story.
1. Welcome to Hotel Schnee

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or any of its characters. They rightfully belong to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth!**

 **A/N: Hey guys! This is my very first attempt at an AU. Please read the first chapter and I will leave the rest of my rant/important notes about the AU below. Thanks for reading! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Welcome to Hotel Schnee**

"So, you want me to leave?" Weiss spoke, flabbergasted for the umpteenth time this afternoon.

Her mother smiled, "That's EXACTLY what I'm saying."

"But mother, I don't want to leave..." The heiress confessed honestly. "I can't just leave you all alone in the mansion."

"Don't be silly darling! I'm a grown woman, and I am very capable of taking care of myself. Besides, you'll only be gone for the summer." The elder Schnee stated, waving her daughter's concerns away.

Weiss pouted and proceeded to protest, "I don't want to meet father in some crummy hotel-"

"Five star hotel! Which, I remind you, has been in our family for generations." Her mother interrupted her, slightly offended. "Your father just wants to see how you are and ask you if you would like to lead the family business."

"Whatever! The specifics don't matter. I still don't want to work there!" The heiress said in defiance.

"Well, that's a shame... 'Cause I already had Klein to pack your bags for you!" The older woman told her with a sly smile, already one step ahead of her daughter.

Weiss' icy blue eyes widened in surprise. "WHAT?!"

"Trust me darling, this will be for the best." The elder Schnee promised. "You barely go out of this mansion as it is, and I certainly don't want you to become like me." She mentioned as an afterthought.

"Like you?" Weiss cocked her head in confusion.

"Lazy, my darling." Her mother answered her. "I just sit here all day and have wild 'tea parties' with other old hags."

"Mother, you don't drink tea." The heiress stated a fact, already knowing that her mother tended to drink a lot.

The older woman scoffed. "That's beside the point! I already bought two plane tickets to Atlas, and I WILL NOT have them go to waste!"

Weiss looked confused yet again. "Two tickets? Who's getting the other one?"

"Klein, of course!" The elder Schnee smiled as she clasped her hands together in glee. "What? You thought you'd be going alone, didn't you? Don't be silly!" **That's someone less on my nagging list...** She thought eagerly.

"Very well." The heiress sighed in defeat obviously seeing that she wouldn't be able to win this battle. Weiss turned and she started to head to her room. "I'll eat a light dinner and head off to bed."

"Make that a light lunch and head to the airport. Your next flight leaves in an hour!" Her mother stated, which successfully made her daughter stop in her tracks.

Weiss turned around so fast that her side ponytail smacked her in the face, not that she noticed it doing so because of her shock. "WHAT?!"

"Get to it! Make sure to call me once you're in the airport, and call me again once you've made it to Atlas!" The elder Schnee ushered her out the door. "I'm going to miss you so much, my little Snow Globe!"

 **Knowing her, she's not gonna miss me much...** The heiress sighed exasperatedly, ultimately resigning in defeat for the second time today.

* * *

Weiss was absolutely seething with rage. She was angry on the way to the airport, and she was angry during the flight to Atlas. The heiress was even more visibly upset at the fact that her own father wasn't present to pick them up at the airport. Instead, there was a very tall man wearing an outfit reminiscent of a bartender. The man stood practically motionless in front of his car as he held up a sign that read "Schnee" in bold black letters.

 **This guy looks all sorts of shady! What was father thinking?! This day can't possibly get worse!** Weiss thought frantically, looking off to the side towards her butler. "Is that...?"

"It appears so, Miss Schnee." Klein responded, probably thinking the same thing.

They didn't exchange any words as they loaded their luggage onto the trunk and drove off. Needless to say, there was a very uneasy silence during the car ride.

The heiress sighed as she leaned her head against the palm of her hand, a frown plastered on her beautiful features.

Klein noticed this and felt the need to start a conversation, "So, I heard that you were excited to see your older sister again, Miss Schnee."

"I suppose, though it still doesn't change the fact that she hasn't checked up on me in like forever!" Weiss grumbled quietly, but still loud enough for him to hear.

"Nonsense, Miss Schnee! Miss Winter is just busy is all." The butler reassured. "I'm sure she missed you. Miss Winter adores her little sister, you know!"

The heiress blushed a bit at hearing Klein gush about her sisterly bond with Winter. "Yeah, she does..." She admitted, smiling a bit.

"There's my little Snowflake!" The servant said with a heartwarming smile.

Weiss giggled a bit before conceding to her previous statement. "You're right, Klein. There's nothing I can do about it. Winter must be really busy on the force."

"Police officers like her are top notch! And contrary to popular belief, Atlas is like any other city when it comes to their crime rates. They're not high, but one can never be too careful nowadays!" The servant fretted before settling down. "It's a shame she had to retire..."

"Retire?! Winter?" Weiss' eyes widened in shock at this news. The young Schnee grabbed Klein's shoulders and frantically started to shake him."What do you mean she retired?! Winter is only twenty nine years old, and she's practically married to her job! She is not the type of person to just suddenly drop her profession!"

"M-Miss Schnee, please! Calm yourself!" Klein spoke, nervous and confused as to not knowing why his mistress was getting worked up over something like this.

"Miss Winter retired from the force because of an injury, Miss Schnee."

Weiss stopped shaking her butler, her ears catching on to an unfamiliar voice. When she looked up, Weiss noticed that it was their chauffeur who had spoken.

"...How do you know about Winter?" The heiress asked slowly, but it was voiced as a demand.

"Well, I work for your father." The man responded rather casually, almost as if it was the most obvious question in the world. "Since she retired, Miss Winter has been helping around the hotel, being one of its managers." He informed the young girl. "Miss Winter is a kind, yet firm person. It must run in the family, I suppose. Though Young Master Whitley doesn't seem to act like it so much... It's still an honor and a privilege to be working for your family, Miss Schnee. Without your father...I certainly wouldn't be here."

Weiss was startled at hearing that response. "I don't believe I ever caught your name."

"It's Junior." The chauffeur introduced himself, looking up momentarily and making eye contact with the heiress through the rear-view mirror. "Junior Xiong."

* * *

They have finally arrived. Weiss stepped out of the car, and she gaped at the sight before her. The young Schnee's face was in awe at seeing her family's hotel for the very first time.

While the front garden itself was magnificent with its shaped shrubbery and wide variety of flowers, her eyes gravitated to the very building she would be staying in. The building was enormous and showed signs of being modern with some antique design and inspiration to it. The walls were mainly white with a few details being done in a very light, powdery blue color. Many windows lined its outer walls, most of them normal, the ones nearing the top being sliding doors that led to a small balcony. Just above the hotel's sign, you could see the Schnee family emblem, a giant snowflake overlooking the rest of the front garden which was its kingdom. Needless to say, the building was just as grandiose as she had imagined her father would make it.

Both Klein and Junior had insisted that Weiss should go on ahead and meet up with her family while they unloaded the bags from the car. The heiress passed through the revolving doors, she looked around at the lobby.

The lobby was almost as grand as the outside, with marble floors, white wallpaper with silver details, a few statues, and a very nice looking seating area for guests to wait and converse in. The room was a complete circle surrounded by doors on all sides, all of them presumably leading to separate areas in the hotel. A few of the rooms could be found here, and they followed the lined circular shape of the room. An elevator was visible to the left of the seating area, making the rooms accessible to guests staying there. A few plants could also be seen, most of them surrounding the railings upstairs or the side of the front desk, which was light blue in contrast to the white found almost everywhere else.

The heiress walked further into the threshold towards the front desk. As Weiss approached the counter she noticed the receptionist was doing something on her computer, and the young Schnee figured that the employee must be focused on something due to the determined expression she had on her face. The young girl has medium-brown skin and dark red eyes. Her hair was a light, mint green with a straight fringe and bangs, as well as two long locks on each side, on the back.

"Um, excuse me?" Weiss called for assistance, and she was ignored. "Miss?"

No response.

The heiress tried again. "Hello? I want to ask a question."

"Not now...!" The receptionist grumbled, furiously clicking her mouse and some of her keys on her keyboard. "I'm in the zone."

Though this time she received an answer, it still felt like the young Schnee was talking to a brick wall. She just wasn't sure if she had enough patience to last the rest of the day.

 **It's okay Weiss, it's been a long day. Let's try that again.** The heiress thought calmly to herself, and so she tried to call for the receptionist's attention once more. "Excuse me?"

"Beat it! I'm on my break!" The greenlette practically barked at her, having yet to tear her eyes away from her computer screen.

 **THAT'S IT!** Weiss thought exasperatedly, obviously the last bit of thread that was called patience snapped and she felt the need to unleash her wrath on the receptionist.

The young Schnee slammed her fist against the counter top, which effectively startled the girl as her face was morphed into that of horror since it turned out she had died in her video game. Finally, the red eyed girl made eye contact with Weiss. It was a stare off for a couple minutes since both girls weren't backing down with their scowls. The fury glare in Weiss' icy blue eyes could probably freeze anything in sight meanwhile the receptionist's blood red eyes could bore into one's soul and probably would make anyone spill out their deepest darkest secrets.

" _Well, it seems that you won't take a hint..."_ The greenlette spoke, being the first one to break the silence. She clearly sounded annoyed and her face said that she'd rather be anywhere else but here. _"Welcome to Hotel Schnee. How may I help you? Do you need a room for the night?"_ She asked, though judging by her tone of voice Weiss knew that this girl was anything but nice.

"Listen," The heiress looked down for a moment, noticing the girl's name tag. Weiss then looked up and continued speaking through clenched teeth, barely keeping herself composed. "Emerald...! I am looking for someone-"

"Let me guess... Is it a family or a high school reunion? A birthday party perhaps? Or maybe, it's the _I don't fucking care association!_ " Emerald rudely interrupted her.

The young Schnee scoffed, flabbergasted on how this girl was treating her. "Don't take that tone with me! What kind of employee are you?! You're supposed to greet guests with a smile! Isn't that the point of customer service?! The guest come first!"

"Not in _my_ dictionary. As far as I'm concerned, the guest can go fuck themselves in a corner. This may be a five star hotel, but _I_ at the very least shall not pamper you from head to toe as if you're royalty. So, whoever came up with the phrase _"The customer is always right."_ has a special place in Hell for them. Who the fuck came up with that phrase anyway?!" The receptionist told her with a straight face. "I'm just here for my paycheck. That's all I care about."

"How do you still have your job?!" Weiss exclaimed in slight amazement and rage, she couldn't believe the bad service she was already experiencing and she was only in front desk for a good five minutes.

"It's easy." Emerald sneered at her, putting her hands behind her head while leaning back on her seat. "I put on a 'mask' of sorts. If I 'like' you, then there won't be any problems, but if I dislike you... Then, it's _pre~tty_ much what we're doing right now, except I haven't physically kicked you out yet."

"I haven't done anything wrong! I have been trying to get your attention from the start!" The heiress growled out.

"Yeah, about that...I _really_ didn't appreciate you coming in here, that's strike one. I clearly stated that I was busy and on my break, that's strike two by the way, and not only did you startle me but you also made me crash and die on my game..." The greenlette trailed off, her face and voice giving off a bitchy vibe all together. She then whispered. _"That's strike three."_

Weiss leaned forward on the counter. "Do you know who I am?" She asked, but it sounded as a threat.

Clearly, this wasn't the first time that Emerald heard that particular phrase from certain guests when they were riled up over something. Amused the greenlette leaned forward in her seat, meeting the heiress half-way, and all the while that sneer stayed plastered on her face. The receptionist then dared to ask,"Tell me. What makes you _so_ special?"

The young Schnee had opened her mouth, but before any words could come out...

A hand darted out from behind the greenlette without her noticing. It clutched her by the neck, and just by the touch alone it sent shivers down Emerald's spine. "Knock it off, _Esmeralda._ "

"H-Hey there, Winter!" The red eyed girl spoke all of a sudden in a friendly manner, though Weiss wondered if this was another one of the girl's 'masks' she had mentioned about earlier. Her bitchy face and tone disappeared as if they weren't even there in the first place. "Your hand is kind of frosty. Could you maybe let go of me?"

"I will not, not until you tell me what you have been doing." Winter said seriously, her voice holding a slight authority as she talked.

Emerald sweetly smiled, but both Schnee sisters knew that there wasn't anything genuine behind this action. "I was checking the Inn-House List. You know, I have to keep track on how many guests we're going to have this week. We wouldn't want to suddenly be swamped by a mass of Anchovies..."

"Uh-huh..." The elder Schnee hummed in mock acknowledgment. **This is probably her worst excuse yet.** Winter thought irritably. She then looked off to the side and with her sharp, icy blue eyes she caught a game over screen on the front desk computer. **Survival mode, huh?** "And since when does an Inn-House List have 18,568 guests?"

Busted.

"W-We have a lot of numbers...!" The greenlette mumbled shakily, but she finally dropped the act right afterwards. "Alright, you've caught me..."

"Red handed. Honestly... If you're going to play _Kung Fu Ninja Slayer Ultimate Battle 2,_ at least ACT like you're paying attention, and that also includes when a guest comes up to you." The former cop grumbled as she released the girl, knowing full well that manning the front desk can be quite boring at times. "Now, mind telling me why you were harassing my little sister? The very young woman that so happens to be your boss' youngest daughter, I might add." She asked demandingly, much to Weiss' amusement as Emerald paled at this sudden revelation.

Red eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?!" She exclaimed.

"When am I ever not serious?" Winter deadpanned.

"Point taken." The receptionist swirled around in her office chair, looking up at Winter before swirling around again to face the front counter where Weiss was still standing. Then everything clicked and made sense for the greenlette. "OH, now I see it!" Emerald realized as she made eye contact with the young heiress. "I knew there was something that pissed me off just by looking at you! You Schnees are so damn alike in resemblance, especially you two!"

The elder Schnee rolled her eyes, unimpressed from hearing Emerald's crude answer. "I am flattered on how you think about me."

Winter didn't seem to be affected by that comment. Weiss, however...she really didn't know what to think about it. The heiress wasn't exactly mad, but she was flabbergasted on how this girl was talking about her family like that. "...What...?"

"Ignore her, dear sister, for she is a simpleton." The former cop told her sibling, walking out from behind the front desk counter. "Come, Weiss. Let us catch up."

The greenlette seemed offended by Winter's remark. "Hey!"

"By the way, consider this small incident to be deducted on your next paycheck." Winter informed the receptionist from over her shoulder before she and Weiss were out from view.

"WHAT?!" Emerald looked horrified as she stood from her seat, yelling after the older sibling. "Winter, Winter! You can't do this to me! PLEASE, tell me that you're joking! Come on, I didn't steal anything from the register this time!" She cried desperately, not crying actual tears though.

The elder Schnee came back. Winter's eyebrows were raised in amusement while her lips went up in a small smirk, but whether or not that look was a friendly one was anyone's guess. "Oh? So, you're telling me that you have stolen again. As in, yesterday? A couple of days ago? A week ago? OR, maybe sometime earlier this month? And, let's not forget the most important question of them all... Exactly, how many times DID you steal from the register this month alone? Which is it?"

 **Crap! I said too much...** The red eyed girl blanched on the realization that she just dug her own grave. Emerald fumbled a bit in trying to come up with a response, but no words seemed to come out of her mouth. There were way too many questions revolving around the same thing with surprisingly little time to come up with seemingly good excuses to get away with it all. The greenlette was pinned against a corner with no way out. **Damn that Schnee!**

"I'll take that as a yes on all counts. A thief you may be, but it'll probably take you a hundred years for you to think I wouldn't notice the sudden drops on our financial reports." Winter's facial expression remained the same as before, turning around as she walked next to Weiss to another part of the hotel. Before they were out of earshot though, "And just so you know, our father will hear about this. Keep up the good work~!"

Now alone, Emerald sat back heavily on her seat as she looked to the side to her computer. It was still on the game over screen. The greenlette sighed exasperatedly. "Game over is right..."

* * *

After the rather hostile encounter with Emerald, Weiss felt supremely grateful for Winter's timely rescue. Her sister, her best friend, her confidant had always been there for her. Through the good times and the bad times. The heiress could barely remember a time where Winter wasn't there to help out in her time of need.

The young Schnee couldn't help but smirk as she recalled how her sister put that damn greenlette in her place. **Serves her right!** She thought spitefully.

"Weiss."

Weiss noticed that they had stopped in the middle of a hallway, and she looked to the side to see that Winter had sat down on a couch. The elder Schnee was softly patting down the spot right next to her, and the heiress was happy to oblige as she eagerly sat down beside her sister. The young Schnee didn't waste time in enveloping her sibling with a hug, startling the older woman by the sudden action but it didn't take long for Winter to relax in her little sister's embrace before she finally returned the gesture.

"I really missed you..." Weiss sniffled as she buried her face against Winter's shoulder, hugging and holding onto her sister tightly. Wishing that she didn't have to let go, wishing that their upbringing could've been different while growing up... There were so many things the young Schnee wished to be different, but what can you do except play with the cards you're dealt with?

It wasn't a surprise that Winter felt her work vest being soaked a bit by Weiss' tears, the poor girl was even shaking and quietly sobbing against her shoulder. The former cop leaned her head on top of her little sister's and just held her close. "I missed you too, Weiss." She spoke softly.

The Schnee sisters remained like that for quite sometime until Weiss finally regained her composure. The heiress pulled away from Winter's embrace and proceeded to wipe away her tears, sniffling a bit as she did so.

The former cop smiled softly at her. "Feeling better?" She asked.

"Much. Thank you." The young Schnee responded quietly.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to get a headache." The elder Schnee fretted a bit as she tucked away a strand of Weiss' white hair behind her ear. "I assume that you had a difficult time with mother again?"

"Winter, don't assume. It makes an ass out of you and me." Weiss playfully chastised her, giggling so.

Winter chuckled a bit. "You're right. My apologies."

"In all seriousness though, mother has been well...mother." The heiress summarized blandly, for lack of better words. "You should've seen the way she 'kicked' Klein and I out of the mansion! I barely had time to register what was going on! I was very angry on the entire trip to get here..." She grumbled. "Mother just wanted to have the entire mansion to herself so that she could do her 'wild tea parties' as she puts it, as if! Mother acts like I don't know that she actually drinks!"

"I can imagine." The former cop nodded sympathetically as she listened to her sister. "So, I take it mother hasn't really told you the main reason on why you're here?"

"Mother only told me that father wanted to catch up with me and offer me the chance to become the next successor of this place. Not to mention the fact that I have to remain here for the rest of the summer..." The young Schnee replied.

"Well, at the very least mother told you that much before 'kicking you out' the way she did. And so, I will leave the rest up to father to explain once you meet up with him." The elder Schnee told her to make sure that Weiss didn't get any ideas about asking her questions she didn't have the answers to.

"Alright then." Weiss nodded in understanding. The young Schnee then recalled an earlier topic, and she just felt the need to know the truth about it. Although, deep down...Weiss felt like she didn't want to find out at all. "Winter."

Winter inclined her head to her, giving Weiss her undivided attention. "Yes?"

"Is it true that...you retired from the force because of an injury?" The heiress asked her.

"Yes, Weiss. It's true." The former cop answered right away, not denying it.

 **So it is true...** Weiss thought in slight disappointment. Klein and Junior were telling the truth, but to the young Schnee it seemed so unreal. For Weiss, Winter was her idol when it came to ambition. Her older sister put her blood, sweat, and tears into anything she worked to achieve. So the fact that Winter was forced to retire from the force...the mere idea was just ridiculous for the heiress. "Can I ask how it happened?"

All of a sudden, Winter blushed and turned her head away from her sibling. "...Do I have to?" She mumbled shyly, and Weiss wondered why she was acting like that. This wasn't the usual behavior Winter exhibited. Was it shame? Embarrassment? ...Or, something else?

"I'm your sister! That's more than enough reason to tell me, at least I think so, but if it was truly a traumatic experience for you then I won't force you..." The young Schnee told her.

"No. It wasn't anything like that, it's just..." The elder Schnee stared off for a bit, trying to find the right words. "I did get hurt, but not to the point where I was forced to retire. Someone told me to... he told me to..." She answered softly as she took off her left white glove, bringing her hand up to show Weiss her wedding band.

Not all the knowledge in the world could've mentally prepared Weiss at hearing this unexpected and yet surprising news. Seconds went by as the heiress remained silent, her brain still trying to process the information, but once she did...she exploded. "YOU'RE MARRIED! SINCE WHEN?!"

"I knew you'd react like this..." Winter sighed, shaking her head as she put on her glove again.

"Answer the question!" Weiss practically barked demandingly.

"Six months, if you must know." The former cop replied.

"Six months...!" The heiress groaned as she slumped a bit on the couch, to the point where her skirt started to ride up.

The older Schnee adjusted Weiss' skirt to shield her modesty, and began chastising her. "Weiss, this is not how a proper lady should sit! You're wearing a skirt for Dust sake!"

"I don't care!" The young Schnee fussed as she swatted her sister's hands away, pouting all the while. This was unfair. Winter is her sister, her _best friend,_ her _confidant_ and yet...Weiss was left in the dark. But, why the secrecy? The betrayal? She and Winter used to talk about anything and everything and now things felt so different for the young Schnee. And to make matters worse... "I didn't even know you were going out with someone!"

"Now Weiss, I can explain." The former cop spoke, softly to try and calm her sibling.

But Weiss didn't want to hear it. The heiress stood up from the couch as she turned around to face Winter, her hands on her hips as she began scolding her older sister. "Explain? Explain?! What is there to explain?! You haven't visited the mansion in MONTHS! I thought it was because you were busy on the force, only to find out from both Klein and Junior that you apparently got injured! But now, you're telling me you married a complete stranger!"

"It is...true." Winter said slowly, not denying any of those facts. After all, Weiss hadn't met Winter's husband so it was only natural that the young Schnee would refer to her new brother-in-law as a stranger. "He's a sweet man, Weiss." Winter commented for lack of better words, she really didn't know how to get through to the heiress.

"Of course, you would say that! He's your husband!" Weiss spoke rhetorically, rolling her eyes. She then began to throw an accusation. "For all I know he could be a convicted criminal!"

At this Winter straightened up as she raised her voice. "He's not a criminal, he's a man of the law!" She said, coming to her husband's defense.

"OH! So he turns out to be a former co-worker, and a man of the law he may be but he could still be a corrupted one." The heiress spoke accusingly, her hunch being based on countless TV crime dramas in where there was a corrupted law official. Though in reality, this fellow was probably...nice, but regardless of that possibility Weiss would not let go of this grudge. "Besides, you never even invited me to the wedding!"

"I'm not going to argue about this." The former cop sighed exasperatedly as she closed her eyes, bringing a hand up to pinch her nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Look Weiss, I'm sorry. I really am. A lot has happened to me in those few months with getting injured on the job, all of a sudden being engaged, and of course...the wedding... But if you really feel that strongly about all this, I can let you meet him in person and if that doesn't help, I'll let you name my first born child." She offered as an apology.

Weiss immediately brought her hands up to her ears, not wanting to hear the word _"Child"_ coming from Winter's mouth. "I don't want to hear that! I'm too young to be an aunt!"

"Weiss, you're twenty one years old." Winter kindly reminded her, smiling so as she stood up from the couch to hug her sister. "And believe me, I don't want to hear it as much as you do, but father keeps persisting in that department. At first father wanted me to settle down, but now he's desperate for grandchildren."

Weiss inwardly groaned at hearing this, hugging her back as she did so. The young Schnee then pulled away from the embrace before ultimately sighing. "Are you sure that he's a good man?" She asked, referring to Winter's husband.

"He is. My husband is firm, but he has a gentle heart with a good sense of justice. Not to mention he's handsome, humble, and strong..." The elder Schnee blushed as she named some of her man's qualities. "He treats me very well, Weiss. I'm sure you'll like him too."

"I could give him a chance, I suppose..." Weiss relented, pouting a bit.

"Thank you." Winter smiled in gratitude. She then started walking towards the end of the hall. "Now, come along, I'll take you to father's office."

The heiress walked beside her sibling, following suit. "Very well."

* * *

The Schnee sisters passed through the gardens near the outside pool of the hotel.

Towards the halfway point, the sisters stopped near the flowerbeds. Winter's pager started blaring with someone's voice on the other line. The former cop picked up the device. "Winter here."

" _Miss Winter, I'm really sorry to bother you, but I require your assistance over at Housekeeping."_

"What is it this time?" Winter asked, her lips being pressed together forming a thin frown.

" _The washer is broken again, and I can't find our damn porter/maintenance boy... And before you ask, I tried force and it didn't work. In fact, I think that just made the problem worse!"_ A sultry voice grumbled from the other line. Weiss could sense her frustration from here.

The elder Schnee sighed exasperatedly, not surprised at hearing this news. "Alright then, I'll be right over." She responded as she put her pager away. Winter then gave Weiss an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Weiss, but I really have to take care of this."

"It's okay. I can just head to father's office on my own." The young Schnee said in understanding. "I take it you're always busy around the hotel, huh?"

"Very. Aside from being the Head Manager of Front Desk, I need to make runs and monitor everyone whenever I can to make sure things run smoothly." Winter told her. "Father will explain everything once you meet up with him." She told her, running off towards Housekeeping. "I'll see you later!"

Weiss waved goodbye until her older sister was out of sight. "I guess I'm on my own..." The heiress commented to herself, walking further down the courtyard, and as she walked Weiss realized something... "Winter didn't tell me where father's office is at!"

In her slight panic, the young Schnee didn't know where she was going and accidentally bumped into someone. "Hey, watch where you're going girl! You almost stepped on my Petunias!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Weiss apologized stepping away from the man or rather...Faunus. Weiss' icy blue eyes widened upon noticing the man's scorpion tail, which he was using to put distance between her and the flowers she almost trampled over. "I-I never realized that you were a-"

His presence was overwhelming and Weiss couldn't help but let her eyes wander to his appearance. The tall man had pale skin, golden eyes, and a brown ponytail braided to resemble a scorpion's tail. He wore a sunhat, a white work shirt that said "Hotel Schnee" in bold blue letters on the left side with leather belts strapped to his waist, along with khaki pants. His shirt was left open, exposing his bare chest, which was criss-crossed with prominent scars. His arms were covered with purple bandages and leather vambraces. He also wore leather boots covering his entire shins with knee guards. On each earlobe, he had a silver, ring-shaped earring, and near the top of his left ear was another matching earring.

Overrall, Weiss doubted that this man was an actual garderner. **What kind of occupation did he use to have?** She wondered. **Those scars on his chest don't look like ordinary ones you'd see everyday...**

"A what?!" The gardener asked menacingly, daring her to say that word.

"A Faunus." The heiress clarified, daring as she raised her hands up a bit defensively. "But I don't mean any disrespect! I'm just surprised to see a person with bug traits." She quickly added. "I usually see people with mammal traits so..."

"Are you making fun of me girly? I ain't no bug! I'm part scorpion, as in, an arachnid!" The gardener corrected as he stood up to face her, clearly offended as his scorpion tail swished irritably behind him.

Weiss visibly blanched a bit as she took a couple of steps back, afraid of getting stung and she wouldn't be very happy if she got poisoned by accidentally pissing the guy off. "M-My mistake!" She apologized again, giving a shaky laugh.

"First you tried to trample over my Petunias, and now you want to try to trample over me? You've got some nerve!" The tall man spoke, intimidating her as he strode over.

The heiress was at a loss on what to do. This guy was hostile for absolutely no reason and Weiss didn't know how to get through to him. At this rate the young Schnee won't make it to her father's office, wherever that is...

"Back off, Tyrian." A hand darted out, grabbing the Faunus' braid and yanking him back a bit before releasing him. "This girl is no threat."

Tyrian fixed his ponytail and merely glared at the young man beside him. "You want me to stop? But Adam, this girl was making fun of me!"

"There's a difference in making fun of you and being ignorant." Adam stated to him. He was a tall man with red and brown hair that spiked backward in a windswept way. While most of his hair was red, a portion of it in the back and several streaks were brown. Adam had a pair of black shades, which obscured his eyes. His Faunus heritage appeared to be that of a bull, for he had two horns- one on each side of his head. Like Tyrian, Adam also wore a white work shirt and khaki pants. Though unlike Tyrian, Adam was wearing his work shirt properly, having it buttoned up. Not to mention, Adam also had his trusty sword, Wilt and Blush, by his side.

 **What's with that sword?!** Weiss thought in concern, internally freaking out.

"Are you calling me stupid?!" The gardener practically yelled at him.

Adam facepalmed before sighing. "You might as well be. Being ignorant means being UNAWARE of something. For example, she was not AWARE that Faunus aren't just limited to having mammal traits. You are ignorant of what ignorant means. In fact, you can be both ignorant AND stupid at the same time! You know, just like how you're being right now."

Tyrian just rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath, not arguing about this any further.

Once his companion remained silent, Adam looked at Weiss, who was still a bit wary of them. "That aside... You do realize this is the boss' youngest daughter, right?"

Tyrian's golden eyes widened upon this sudden revelation as he walked a bit too close to Weiss' personal space, taking a closer look. The young Schnee simply stood there, petrified as the tall man's eyes bore into her very soul.

"...Why is he staring at me like that?" Weiss slowly asked the bull Faunus, too terrified to move away from the scorpion Faunus' gaze.

"I know. It's weird, but please just give him a second." Adam responded calmly, crossing his arms.

Tyrian then gasped in surprise. "She DOES look like Papa Schnee!" He remarked in glee. Suddenly his attitude changed almost ten fold, and he knelt in front of the heiress. "Please forgive my earlier outburst, milady. I really don't know where that came from..." He apologized gently, his tone of voice having changed drastically compared to before.

"...Apology...accepted?" Weiss gave a shaky smile, ultimately forgiving him.

"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to meet the Master in his office?" The gardener questioned her.

"That's the thing...I...really don't know where I'm going..." The young Schnee admitted shyly, a blush rising up her cheeks in embarrassment. "Winter was supposed to escort me there, but somebody requested her presence over at Housekeeping." She explained. "They said something about a broken washer, and that they couldn't find their porter/maintenance guy...I don't know..."

Adam sighed, already knowing who Weiss was referring to. "That damn kid really grinds my gears... He needs to take his job seriously."

"If you ask me, that boy needs to work his ass off! Teach him some discipline! The Master gave him everything, and that brat isn't showing any amount of respect nor gratitude for being here!" Tyrian practically exploded.

 **Who are they talking about?** Weiss wondered. **Winter almost complained in the same manner earlier.** "Is this guy that much of a slacker?" She asked them.

"It's not our place to tell you, milady, but if you're that curious...Papa Schnee will tell you soon enough." Tyrian responded.

Adam started to walk ahead, tapping Weiss' shoulder as he did so. "Come on, I'll take you to the boss' office." He offered his services. Adam then looked back towards Tyrian. "You better behave 'till I come back."

"Yes, yes, I'll behave." The scorpion Faunus rolled his eyes. Tyrian then looked at Weiss one last time. "It was nice meeting you, milady. I apologize again for earlier, and I hope you have a nice day." He bid her farewell as he returned to his garden duties.

"T-Thank you. I hope you have a nice day too, Tyrian." Weiss replied in kind before she started to follow after Adam out of the courtyard.

* * *

The walk to her father's office was not only silent, but also an awkward one for Weiss. The heiress just felt the need to talk about something. Anything, anything at all just to end the uneasy silence! It also didn't help matters involving her curiosity as Weiss' eyes kept coming back to Adam's sword.

 **Why does he need that anyway?** The young Schnee wondered. **Self-defense? A need to feel secure? Was he part of the mafia? A gang? Or...**

"If you've got something to say, then say it." Adam spoke, a bit irritably as he kept walking.

Weiss looked startled. "How did you know I wanted to say something?" She asked, eyeing him warily.

"You keep burning a hole in the back of my head!" The swordsman replied angrily. "What do you think? I feel stared at."

"Oh, sorry..." The heiress mumbled an apology, face palming to try and conceal her flushed face. "So, um, why do you have a sword? If you don't mind me asking, that is!" She quickly added.

Adam stopped walking, looking at Weiss from over his shoulder. His gaze, even if it was obscured by his shades, was intense. The young Schnee stopped, frozen in her tracks. "Do you _**really**_ want to know?"

"N-N-No, I-I wouldn't..." The heiress managed to reply, struggling with her response.

"Good." The bull Faunus resumed walking on ahead. "There are some things in this world that you're better off not knowing." The pair finally made it to Mr. Schnee's office. Once there, Adam knocked three times against the door before announcing, "Boss, your daughter's here."

Weiss couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in mock amusement. **Well, that's one way to announce my presence...**

The door to her father's office opened to reveal Jacques Schnee himself, the owner of this fine establishment. The elder Schnee looked down upon his daughter, smiling so and Weiss couldn't help but return the gesture, her earlier grudge towards her father forgotten.

"Thank you, Taurus. I'll take it from here." Jacques dismissed the swordsman.

Adam simply bowed his head in respect before turning around and left the corridor.

When the bull Faunus turned by the corner and was out of sight and out of earshot, the heiress commented, "He's...very scary."

"That's just Adam being...well...Adam. He means well. I'm sure he'll get better once you get to know him, probably." Jacques replied blandly, for lack of better words. He then allowed his daughter to enter his office, and once they were inside Jacques seated himself behind his desk, offering Weiss a seat across from him. "Please, take a seat. I trust that you have a lot of questions, but just by looking at your face it tells me that there's more to it."

"Very much so, yes." The young Schnee replied as she took her seat. "So, how have you been?"

"I've been well, not counting the fact that some days are busier than others. You?" Her father asked her.

Jacques would soon regret saying that. Oh, the things Weiss wanted to tell to her father concerning her day. "I don't even know where to start! Let's see, let me start with mother..."

She proceeded to tell her father everything that had just happened, without pause. The old man just sat there, resting his chin on his hands while taking all of the information in. "My own sister left me in the dark about being married, I was nearly killed in the garden, and I was just threatened!" She finally finished, slumping back in her chair ever so slightly.

"Threatened?" That was the only word to come out of her father's mouth after her rant was over.

"Well," Weiss proceeded to explain. "Not exactly threatened, but it sure felt like it! All because of one little question too..."

"I see..." Jacques responded, sitting back upright. "I'm sorry that's how your day has been. I wish I could have done something to make it different, but that's just how things are around here."

"What do you mean?" The young Schnee asked him.

"Well, this may be a five star hotel, but some of its employees are rather...eccentric." The elder Schnee replied, rather hesitantly. Weiss noticed.

"Eccentric how?"

"They are, to put it nicely, riffraffs." He stated.

"You mean crimina-" The young Schnee was interrupted.

"Riff...raffs..." The elder Schnee stated again.

"What is this?" Weiss couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you telling me that our family, The Schnee Family, is a family of crime lords now?! Is that it?"

"No! No, no, no! It's not like that at all, Weiss." Jacques reassured his daughter. "Just think of it as...having high quality security. This building is much safer compared to other establishments!"

 **By having criminals as employees and practical bodyguards, yes, of course you'd feel "safe"...** The heiress closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. She honestly didn't know just how many surprises she could handle today. "Really? Even though you actually have a thief working on the front desk. Who, by the way, keeps stealing money from the register!"

"To which I am thankful to have my eldest daughter, who was a former cop, be in charge of front desk." Her father countered.

"Point taken." Weiss conceded, clearly knowing that Winter had things under control.

"Look Weiss, I know that today hasn't been a very good day for you, and I understand that, I really do. But that still doesn't change the fact that you have to stay here for the rest of the summer. And, I'm going to be frank with you, I need a successor." Jacques told her, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling, almost as if in thought. "Winter has explicitly told me many times that she wasn't interested in being the next owner for this place. And as for Whitley, you remember him don't you?"

"Bits and pieces, but yes I do remember him." The young Schnee admitted. "What about him?"

In truth, Weiss didn't grow up with her siblings much. Obviously. Her parents were practically "divorced", but that's putting it loosely. In reality, they're still married in name, but Jacques and his wife didn't live together anymore. It turned out that his wife didn't want to be in charge of the hotel that was supposed to be hers, but her husband did, which led to many disputes. That aside, Jacques' wife took custody over Weiss while Jacques took Winter and Whitley with him. Winter had turned eighteen by this time, however, and didn't have to deal with her new home environment much as she moved out. Though this was the case, Winter tried visiting her siblings as much as she could in the years that followed. By the time she was twenty-one, however, she had enrolled in the Atlas Police Academy and was well on her way to becoming an officer. Overall, Weiss didn't grow up in a normal, stable family compared to your average everyday household.

"Well, your brother doesn't want the position either." Jacques responded, his shoulders slumping slightly in visible disappointment. "That's why I requested to your mother that you be sent here for the rest of the summer. And admittedly, I wanted a fresh start with you as it were..." He spoke, rather quietly as he avoided eye contact with his daughter. Jacques looked up at her once again before he continued. "I know that I haven't been a good parent over the years, I wasn't there much- or more like I wasn't there at all for you growing up... But I promise you, right here and now, that I will be the best father I could possibly be. And right now, I feel that it is best to re-connect with you and secure our family business. Will you grant me that chance, Weiss?"

"I suppose..." Weiss shook her head. No. That wasn't right. Admittedly, the heiress wanted to give her father a chance. She did miss him, Whitley, and of course, Winter. And now that she had the opportunity to spend time with them again, she'd be a fool telling her father otherwise. The young Schnee looked up to her father. "Yes, I would like that."

Jacques smiled. "That's good to hear, my dear."

"So, what is this position you want me to take up?" Weiss asked him, genuinely curious now.

"First of all, I don't want you to be pressured into accepting this position. That is not my intention. I just want you to get used to things while you work, and I would appreciate it if you would give me your final answer by the end of the summer." The elder Schnee informed her. "Financial reports aside, I need you to monitor the employees and make sure that things run smoothly. Since you plan on taking over, you will need to be all-around when it comes to managing each and every department in this hotel. For starters, you'll need to have a Lifeguard and ABC License."

The young Schnee tilted her head. "For what?"

"Training as a lifeguard you'll learn CPR, immediate First Aid and other procedures. An ABC License will ensure that you can serve alcohol to customers and deliver drinks to their rooms for whenever a guest decides to order room service. It does help being prepared, and you don't know what may happen this summer. Better safe than sorry, right?" Jacques responded.

"That makes sense." Weiss nodded in understanding.

Her father stood up from his chair. "Good. Now, come with me and I'll give you a proper tour."

"Very well." The heiress rose from her seat, following her father out of the office.

* * *

After the talk in the office, Jacques gave Weiss a tour around the hotel. The elder Schnee showed his daughter all the facilities the establishment had to offer. There was the pool area, the sauna, the luxury spa, the banquet hall, the bar/lounge, the gym, and finally they were heading to the restaurant.

"I knew that this was a five star hotel, but I didn't think it would have so many things to offer..." The young Schnee couldn't help but comment, sounding impressed.

"Just wait 'till next year, I'm planning on building a Casino." Jacques chuckled.

 **I can already imagine a certain someone not getting out of there any time soon...** Weiss thought to herself, thinking of Emerald.

Her father stopped walking, pointing ahead. "This is the restaurant."

Just by looking at the outside of the restaurant area, Weiss felt the need to search for her purse. However, even if she did, she knew she wouldn't have a good amount of lien to afford an appetizer. Probably. A Schnee she may be, but even Weiss herself didn't receive much of an allowance growing up.

"In the mornings, the restaurant opens from 6-10AM on the week days and 6-10:30AM on the weekends. And on the evenings, the restaurant is always open from 5-9PM and as for the bar...it will be open from noon to midnight." Jacques informed her. "Any questions?"

The heiress was about to ask some questions, but before she could a commotion over at the restaurant caught their attention. "What was that?" She asked.

The elder Schnee sighed as he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not again..."

"Again? What's going on?" Weiss questioned her father once again, confused.

"You're about to see for yourself. Come on." Jacques beckoned her towards the restaurant's entrance.

When they were close enough, both father and daughter listened and witnessed the spectacle unfold before them. They saw a girl using sign language, trying to communicate to the customer. The girl's hair has a trio of colors in her hair, resembling Neapolitan ice cream. She wore the restaurant's waitress uniform which consisted of a blue work shirt with "Hotel Schnee" in bold white letters on the left side of it, a moderate length black skirt, black stockings, and work shoes. She had a pink umbrella attached to her apron on her waist.

 **Why does she have an umbrella? Is she concealing a blade inside of it?** Weiss wondered. It was already bad enough that Adam owned a sword of all things.

"...Uh. Can somebody translate please?" The guest requested some assistance, not understanding on what his waitress was trying to tell him.

"She says, "It is past 10 o'clock and I need you to leave." Another waitress stepped in, translating on what her co-worker was saying. This girl has short black hair and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy red makeup. She wore bracelets on each of her hands, which concealed her clawed bladed weapons.

"But I'm conversing and eating with my family, which by the way, we haven't finished eating yet." The guest spoke, annoyed.

"We're aware, but it still doesn't change the fact that you can simply transfer your food into a to-go container and be on your merry way because, quite frankly, you're holding us back on our cleaning duties." A third waitress stepped in while saying a bold statement. This worker has long black hair and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy cyan makeup. Like her two co-workers she wore the standard waitress uniform with the exception of her shoes, which were boots with bladed heels.

"I will not tolerate this! Let me speak to your manager!" The guest said demandingly.

"Trust us, you don't want to do that." The short haired waitress recommended, but she was not threatened nor scared by the customer.

The long haired waitress looked annoyed by this point. "Besides, he will tell you the exact same thing. You don't want to hear this spiel again, do you?" She asked him.

But the man still insisted, speaking through clenched teeth. "Let me. Speak. To your. Manager."

"Why don't people listen, Melanie? Why can't we all just be civil and understanding?" The short haired waitress asked her twin.

"I don't know, Miltia. Some people never learn, but to each their own." Melanie answered with her own opinion, rolling her eyes while doing so. "Neo, fetch Torchwick." She told her co-worker, who did what was asked.

Not even five minutes and the restaurant's manager/head chef himself made his appearance.

Roman Torchwick has slanted, green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traced his visible left eye. He wore the standard restaurant uniform consisting of a blue work shirt with "Hotel Schnee" in bold white letters on the left side of it with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he wore a red-lined white jacket on the base of his shoulders, black pants, and work shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small red feather tucked into its red band. Overall, the man had a mafia vibe and he had his trusty cane, Melodic Cudgel, by his side as he smoked a cigar.

Roman did not look pleased. In fact, he was irritated and he will make it known for he is not the type to keep things to himself.

Torchwick settled a couple of to-go containers on the table before beginning with his memorized speech, for which he knew from the bottom of his heart. Obviously, this is neither the first nor the last time he had spoken such a speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, the time now is 10:15. Why are you still here? You're all here on vacation; don't you have better things to do with your time? Don't tell me it's because of the seating; there are seats in the lobby. Don't tell me it's because you want coffee; you'll find that in the lobby, too. Don't tell me it's because of food – we closed at 10 o'clock! Take these to-go containers to put away your leftover food and LEAVE!"

Seeing as they were outmatched and that the manager wasn't on their side, the family packed what was left of their food and departed from the restaurant, but not before the man of the family retorted with a "You'll be getting a terrible review from me and I'll make sure that Jacques Schnee will fire you from doing so!"

"Oh yeah, well that wouldn't be the first time I've heard that! Next time you want quality service, then you should eat out, you jackass!" Roman practically barked out at him, and once the family was out of sight he huffed angrily, puffing out smoke from his cigar. "The nerve of some people!"

"You certainly blew a fuse." Jacques commented as he and Weiss exited from their hiding spot, making their way towards the group.

"Ah, Schnee! Do I have a story for you!" Roman remarked, about to retell the event.

The elder Schnee declined. "No need. I already watched it."

"Damn! I was going to exaggerate about it too over our drinks later!" Torchwick whined, pouting all the while.

"Though, I wouldn't mind hearing 'The exclusive Roman version.'" Jacques relented, chuckling so.

Admittedly, Jacques enjoyed listening to Roman's banter concerning some guests in the restaurant. The two would always converse with each other over drinks at Jacques' office after work and they would always laugh and have a great time in doing so. Roman is the best drinking buddy that Jacques could ever ask for.

Roman's expression lit up instantly. "That's the spirit Schnee!"

Neo looked excited upon seeing her boss and she was about to dash up to him to give the elder Schnee a hug, but she refrained from doing so because of a stranger. Instead, the young girl hid behind her guardian, looking at Weiss with a wary, shy stare.

"Neo, honey, what's wrong?" Torchwick asked her, concerned. He then followed Neapolitan's gaze to where he finally notices the young Schnee. "Oh? Who's your twin?"

"Oh, no, no. She's no twin. In fact, she's my offspring. Everyone, this is my daughter, Weiss Schnee." Jacques introduced his daughter. "Weiss. These are my trusted employees starting with our Head Chef Roman Torchwick, his daughter Neapolitan, and finally the Malachite twins, Miltia and Melanie."

The Malachite twins bowed politely towards the young heiress. "It's nice to meet you."

Weiss returned the gesture, bowing as well. "Likewise."

"You Schnees look so damn alike! It's crazy!" Roman commented. Soon after he let out a yelp, caused by his daughter elbowing him on the ribs for being rude. "Neo! Take it easy with the hits, I bruise easily!" He lightly chided, but he wasn't angry. Roman could never be angry at his little one. "Instead of being all sassy, why don't you say hi to the other Schnee?"

Neo merely waved timidly at the heiress before hiding even further behind her guardian.

Torchwick sighed and began to apologize on Neo's behalf. "Forgive her. She's very shy, but I promise that she'll come around once she's comfortable around you."

"It's quite alright." Weiss reassured. "And what's crazy is the fact that you chased guests out of the restaurant?! I mean, who does that?" She spoke, still flabbergasted on what she witnessed earlier.

Roman came along and wrapped an arm around the heiress' shoulders. "Look at it from OUR point of view, Princess, just imagine that it's 8:59 in the evening, one more minute 'till closing time when an inconsiderate asshole decides to walk into the restaurant and demands service with the lame excuse of "If you're open 'till 9PM then you're open 'till 9PM." Now, tell me, will you or will you not want to pulverize the guy into dust? Answer honestly now!"

"...I...would be very pissed as well." The young Schnee responded, not denying the truth.

"Exactly!" Torchwick raised his arms up, clearly grateful for hearing Weiss' answer. "Is it too much to ask for compassion and consideration for other human beings? I guess so, but assholes will be assholes I suppose." He shrugged.

"Well then, we really must be going. Weiss and I need to continue with the tour." Jacques lamented to inform them.

"Don't let me keep ya, but I will keep you for our drinking date later." Roman kindly dismissed them. "You promised me some Whiskey!"

The elder Schnee chuckled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world my friend." He then turned to look at Neo, who was still hiding behind her guardian. Jacques lowered himself a bit to be in eye level with the small girl. "Don't I get a hug today?" He asked her with a warm smile, opening his arms so.

Neo happily accepted the invitation. The young girl didn't waste a second as she ran up to Jacques, wrapping her arms around him in a warm, crushing hug. The old man was laughing and smiling as he returned the embrace. And for a split second, Weiss couldn't help but feel...jealous. She really couldn't recall a time where her father actually smiled let alone hugged her like that.

At times like these, the heiress wondered... **Were we even family back then? No. Considering mother, father, Winter, Whitley, and I aren't together anymore, I highly doubt we'd ever be a happy family again...**

* * *

After visiting the restaurant, Jacques and Weiss continued the tour. The elder Schnee along with his daughter rode the elevator all the way up to the top floor of the building.

"How many floors does this hotel have again?" The heiress asked as she and her father stepped out of the elevator.

"Ten floors, not counting the special facilities." Jacques responded. "The floor that we're in right now has a total of six guest rooms, all of them being Penthouse suites."

Weiss looked impressed. "Wow. So, are you going to show me the suites? Or, are you going to introduce me to another one of your employees?"

"We could do both actually." Her father offered. "I was going to acquaint you to-" Suddenly, Jacques' pager started to go off. The elder Schnee gave a silent apology to his daughter before picking up the call. "Yes? This better be important."

" _Forgive me for bothering you father, but I require your assistance over at Housekeeping."_ Winter's voice requested from the other line, and from what Weiss could tell or rather...hear is that her older sister sounded very frustrated. _"The washer is broken and I can only do so much. There's practically a flood here!"_

Winter needn't say more about the issue at hand because Jacques Schnee was able to connect the dots for himself.

"Where is _**he?**_ " Jacques asked demandingly, he looked like he was about to lose his temper at any moment towards this certain individual.

" _I thought you might have SOME idea as to his whereabouts! Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered you. Trust me."_ Winter reassured her father.

The old man sighed exasperatedly as he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll be right there." He ended the call, and he soon turned to give his daughter an apologetic look. "I am so sorry, Weiss. I really need to do this."

Weiss nodded in understanding. "It's alright. I'll just go ahead and meet up with... Who is it you wanted me to meet?" She asked him.

"Cinder Fall. She's the manager of housekeeping in this hotel. She should be cleaning one of the suites on this very floor." The elder Schnee informed her before taking his leave. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Once her father was out of sight, the heiress headed down the corridor. It didn't take long for Weiss to locate Cinder as she walked further down the hall.

The young Schnee spotted a housekeeping cart with its owner looking over its contents. **That must be Cinder...**

Cinder Fall has ashen-black hair and bright amber eyes, while her fingernails are painted dark red. She wears the hotel's uniform which consisted of a blue work shirt with "Hotel Schnee" in bold white letters on the left side of it, a black skirt, a black choker on her neck along with a gold loop earring with a black gem dangling from it on her right ear. She has dark, glass, high-heeled shoes and a jeweled anklet on her right leg.

The older woman was going in and out of the room she's currently cleaning up, bringing back dirty bed sheets and the like while rummaging through her cart. And as Weiss got near her, the young Schnee could hear that the housekeeper kept mumbling to herself...

"What a day... The washer is still broken, that insolent brat is nowhere to be found to fix the damn thing, and I am behind on my board!" Cinder complained with utmost rawness, and her voice further confirmed that Cinder was the sultry voice Weiss heard over on the line earlier on the courtyard. "I'll certainly won't be done with my duties early today. I'd probably have to pull an all night-er, even with Mr. Gorim's help to clean all the laundry..."

"Um, excuse me?" The heiress called out for her attention, laying a hand on the woman's shoulder.

Cinder jumped a bit from the unexpected touch while looking to side, noticing Weiss. "Oh, you're here." She spoke, sounding relieved.

Weiss nodded her head. "Yes, I've come to-"

"Hold that thought." The housekeeper interrupted her, handing the heiress a handful of dirty bed sheets. "Be a dear and hold these for me for a second, will you?" Cinder pleaded to the young Schnee without waiting for an answer. She grabbed some clean sheets from her cart and headed back to the hotel room to finish cleaning, leaving Weiss alone in the hallway.

 **You have GOT to be kidding me...** The heiress thought exasperatedly while holding a mountain full of dirty sheets. Heck, she couldn't even see what's in front of her face with the amount she was holding. **I don't have time for this!**

Not even five minutes later and Cinder has returned to the hallway in a hurried manner. Before Weiss could even register what was happening, she was being carried up one moment, only to fall upside down inside a trash bin. Her limbs being splayed awkwardly due to her new position.

 **Oh no, she did not just do that to me!** The heiress then felt like they were moving somewhere further down the hall. The bin wasn't filled with garbage, just dirty laundry. Thank Dust. The smells however were less than pleasant... The young Schnee was surprised at the fact that the older woman didn't even break a sweat by carrying her for a split second, only to be dropped soon after. **Does Cinder even know I'm in here?!** Weiss thought in panic, raising her voice. _"Cinder! Cinder stop! I'm in here!"_

Unfortunately, the heiress' cries were muffled and unheard, and all because of dirty laundry...

Before she knew it, Weiss felt like the bin was lifted up and what met her on the other side was a slide down the laundry shoot. If the young Schnee wasn't scared before, then she certainly was now! Weiss let out a terrifying scream as if she were riding on a roller coaster ride, falling into the depths of the laundry shoot while her skirt started to ride up rather uncomfortably on her way down.

Having heard the yell, Cinder put a hand up to her chin in thought. "Weird. Laundry doesn't screech...does it?" It took her a moment to realize something else... "Oh, Dust! Don't tell I just...! Oh no..."

* * *

It felt like an unpleasant eternity for the young Schnee as her body bumped against the metal walls of the laundry shoot. All the while screaming from the top of her lungs as she fell into the depths, until finally Weiss had a soft landing...

"Oof!"

Her wail caught the attention of four occupants in the room. They turned their heads in time to see the young Schnee fall into a laundry cart. Weiss groaned, shaking her head to try and get rid off the dizzy spell inside her skull.

"Weiss?" A familiar voice called out to her, urgently heading towards the heiress.

Weiss slowly inclined her head at the newcomer, feeling a bit disoriented. "...Winter?"

"What on earth were you doing?" Winter interrogated her sibling, extending her hands out to help her sister. "Father told me you were supposed to be with Cinder."

The heiress gladly accepted her sister's help, slowly standing up on her feet. "I-I was, but somehow she has mistaken me for dirty laundry!"

"How did she mistake you for filthy sheets?" The former cop asked, bewildered at hearing Weiss' response.

"I don't know!" The young Schnee whined, shaking in terror. "All I know is that I don't want to go through that roller coaster ride again!"

Winter eyed her little sister with concern. "What floor were you in?"

Before Weiss could answer, rumbling could be heard from above the laundry shoot, causing both sisters to look up at the ceiling...

" _Look out below!"_

Time seemed to crawl at an all time slow. One moment Weiss was standing on her own two feet, only to be almost squashed to death in the next second by an unexpected heavy weight. Winter's icy blue eyes widened in surprise, a gloved hand coming up to conceal her mouth in shock due to what just happened.

"Top. Floor." Weiss whimpered out an answer through buried sheets, groaning all the while. She tried to push herself back up, but this simple task turned out to be a difficult one due to the sudden weight on top of her. "Can you please get off of me?!"

"I am so sorry!" Cinder apologized.

The weight disappeared and soon after the young Schnee was pulled up to her feet and out of the laundry cart, thanks to both Cinder and her sister's help.

Weiss stretched out her back muscles a bit before sending off a glare to Cinder's direction. "You got some nerve to throw me down the laundry shoot!" She grumbled in displeasure.

"SHE DID WHAT?!" Winter certainly perked up at this sudden news, her earlier surprise forgotten to be soon replaced with rage. She looked at the housekeeper and started interrogating, demanding to know everything. "What happened?"

"It was an accident milady, I swear!" Cinder insisted frantically, bowing apologetically all the while. "She was so pale to the point where I actually mistook her for sheets! I didn't mean to! It sort of just happened, you know? Once I start working on my board, I'm on my own little world. As soon as I realized my mistake, I immediately headed down here via the laundry shoot because honestly, the stairs would take too long, and the same goes for the elevator too if the guests are using it. I'm so sorry!" The housekeeper then looked up at the sisters, immediately noticing the Schnee Family resemblance. "Damn... You two look so much alike, it's crazy! Are you twins by chance?" She asked, genuinely curious.

The former cop sighed through her nose, calming down considerably knowing that her co-worker didn't mean any harm towards her sibling. Weiss, however was perplexed at the fact that ever since she arrived here all of the employees commented about her family resemblance one way or another. Did she and Winter look so much alike? Clearly, Winter is older, taller, and much more mature than Weiss will ever be. At least the young Schnee thinks that way, but who knows what the future holds?

"No Cinder, we're not twins." Winter gave a curt response, rather tired of answering this old question.

"But, thank you for saying so!" Weiss said gleefully with a smile, feeling her sister send an amused look her way. The heiress looked up at her sibling. "What? I like being related to you!"

The former cop playfully rolled her eyes while trying not to smile, bringing her sister close in a one arm hug. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Anything, except leaving my side." The young Schnee answered, hugging her older sister back.

"Weiss, you know as well as I do that I won't be around forever." The elder Schnee reminded her.

Weiss pouted a bit. "It still doesn't mean that we can't spend some time together."

Winter smiled a little. "That is also true."

"Ladies, I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I ask for your assistance over here please!" Jacques Schnee hollered at them from the other side of the room. He, Klein, and Junior were trying their best to plug up the leaking pipe from the broken washer.

They didn't need to be told twice.

Without wasting any time Weiss, Winter, and Cinder hurried their way over to lend a helping hand. For her first technical day at this place, Weiss spent a total of three hours with the others in trying to fix the damn machine to the best of their abilities, but in the end they managed to stop the leak and the washer seemed to be working just fine again.

Once that was done, the group proceeded to split into two teams with Weiss, Winter, and Cinder sweeping the minor flood out of Housekeeping by pushing the water outside while Jacques, Klein, and Junior proceeded to dry/mop the place spotless again.

By the time they finished cleaning everything up, everyone turned their heads to the doorway, noticing a young adult. He has a pale, well-built appearance. His eye and hair color are a silvery gray, which partially slicked back while unkempt at the front. He also wears a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket that covers his upper body, black pants, and he also wears a single notched belt with what appears to be a sash or bandana draped over it. Protecting his arms are sets of vambraces.

 **Who the heck is he?** Weiss wondered in her thoughts, eyeing the newcomer warily.

"Heeey guys~!" The young man greeted everyone with a cheerful greeting, trying to lighten the mood while he purposely ignored the several scowls coming his way as he strode on over to the group. "I've got a call from front desk telling me that the washer was broken..." He trailed off a bit, showing a smug grin.

 **Wait... HE'S the porter!** The heiress exclaimed in her thoughts in outrage, easily being able to connect the dots. In retaliation Weiss proceeded to roll up the sleeves of her white jacket and was about to march her way over to the slacker in order to unleash her wrath, however a hand on her shoulder stopped her from doing so... "Winter?"

"I know how you feel Weiss, but I must ask you to let father handle this." The elder Schnee suggested to her, pointing forward.

When the young Schnee followed Winter's direction, she saw their father heading towards the porter. The old man's steps were filled with a sense of purpose and if Weiss wasn't mistaken she could've sworn that her father's face was flushed solely on rage waiting to be unleashed. Truly it has been such a long time since the heiress had witnessed her father lose his temper, and when he did it was never a good sign...

"MERCURY BLACK SCHNEE!" Jacques yelled from the top of his lungs, causing Weiss to slightly cower by his tone of voice. And then she realized something else...

" ** _BLACK?!_** _SCHNEE?!_ " The heiress shrieked in surprise, wondering if she had heard her father correctly. **Black, as in, Marcus Black's son! _THE_ infamous Assassin in all of Remnant!** She thought in shock.

"I know! Isn't it great?!" Mercury spoke, excitedly while doing jazz hands. He still had a smug grin plastered on his face, despite being yelled at at the moment. "I'm mixed!"

"For the last time Mercury, it doesn't work that way..." Cinder remarked irritably, clearly it wasn't the first time for her, nor the other members in this establishment, to say such a remark to the young man.

"You do know that black snow is a thing, right? Ash mixed in with snow." The porter stated a fact before crossing his arms, acting as if he was offended. "Stop being racist!"

The housekeeper sighed as she closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I give up..."

"I don't know why you even bother trying..." Junior commented to her.

Meanwhile Weiss' mouth was agape, looking between Winter and her father for an explanation. At the same time she was staring at Mercury every so often, and deep down the heiress was in turmoil! She just couldn't believe that she was related to this slacker of all people! The Schnee Family was a family consisting of perfection, ambition, responsible, hardworking individuals for generations. No exceptions. What could have changed her father over the years?

"What the hell is going on?!" Weiss demanded an answer.

Klein nervously cleared his throat, not sure on how to approach the apparent delicate subject at hand. "I was going to ask the same thing..."

"Oh, don't worry. I keep asking the same goddamned questions too." Winter reassured them, giving her father an 'amused' look. "Isn't that right, father?"

Jacques let out a long sigh. "...It's...a long story..."

"But wait, there's more!" Mercury intervened, snapping his fingers towards Weiss for emphasis. "There's one more person you gotta meet that's also part of the family!"

"...More?" The heiress said faintly in response. She honestly didn't know just how many surprises she could handle today.

* * *

"You have GOT to be kidding me?!" Weiss bemoaned for the umpteenth time this evening, debating whether or not to drop to her knees in soul-crushing defeat.

The heiress couldn't believe it... She can't believe anything at this point really. Mercury Black was bad enough, but of all people Weiss was also apparently related to, to-

"EMERALD!"

"Hi~Sissy!" Emerald put on a sweet smile as she greeted Weiss, twiddling her fingers in a cheery manner. _"It's_ ** _soo_** _good to see you again!"_

 **She is so fake!** The young Schnee thought to herself, not falling for the thief's tricks again. She then looked to her father in disbelief, who was rather patient in listening to his daughter's banter. "I repeat, EMERALD! Emerald fucking-" Weiss stopped for a moment, asking the thief a direct question. "What's your last name?"

"Sustrai."

"Thank you." The heiress then continued with her banter. "Emerald fucking Sustrai!"

"Don't forget Schnee!" Mercury added from the sideline, snickering. He then grabbed Emerald's arm, making her wave at the others. "She's also mixed!"

"Dude, for the last time, that is NOT how it works!" The thief chastised him as she yanked her arm free from his grasp, clearly tired of this old joke.

The porter was insistent over the issue. "What you need is to lighten up and accept it for how it is! You gotta love yourself! Be a Schnee!"

Weiss scoffed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "As I was saying... Last time I checked, I only had two siblings, which are Winter and Whitley respectively!"

"Aw, it's not so bad sister." Whitley reassured her. "Now father has five children, there's plenty of love to go around, and as the old saying goes 'The more the merrier!'"

"You're not helping...!" The young Schnee grumbled, glaring at her little brother.

Admittedly, for both siblings, it was actually weird seeing each other again after all these years apart due to their upbringing. One hardly knowing about the other. It was as if they were complete strangers meeting for the very first time, but that's technically not the case here...

Despite it all, it seems that Whitley was pushing all the right buttons to annoy his older sister.

"Whatever do you mean, dear sister." The youngest Schnee said, smiling at Weiss. "They're not so bad. They're actually pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!"

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Emerald cooed while laying a hand on her chest, touched from her baby brother's comment.

Mercury wrapped an arm around Whitley's shoulders, bringing his little brother close to give him a nogie, causing the youngest Schnee to laugh. "This is my boy right here! My cool boy!"

"AWESOME?! They're as rowdy as a-" Weiss held her tongue, fearing that she might say something she might regret. "You know what, forget it, I don't care any more."

"You're right Weiss, you should let it go. But on the contrary, you should care." Jacques spoke up, showing how serious he was about this issue. "Mercury and Emerald are part of the family now, and that's the way it's going to be."

"So, what you're telling me is that I've got to put up with it?" The heiress retorted incredulously, putting her hands on her hips in displeasure.

"That is EXACTLY what I'm saying." Her father answered with conviction. "Besides, I already signed the adoption papers years ago..." He trailed off quietly, but loud enough for his daughter to hear.

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe this...!"

The young Schnee's whole day was all out of order. It's as if she was making layers upon layers of cake, but half-way through the baking process something turned out wrong. The towers she used to call "Order" and "Normal" were beginning to collapse. Lies were built upon lies. "Truth" and "Honesty" were not part of the recipe. Throughout the day, Weiss was left in the dark one way or another, more than once in fact...

Practically being "Kicked out" of the mansion by her own mother, who didn't even bother explaining anything to Weiss in the first place and just shoved the plane tickets to her face. Finding out that Winter, of all people, got married to a complete stranger with Weiss not knowing anything about them dating, getting engaged, and of course being invited to the wedding. Discovering that her family's business is completely overrun with criminals as your"Typical", everyday employees. And regardless of her father's reassurances, Weiss is still personally convinced that the Schnee Family is a family of crime lords now. And finally, to put the icing on this disaster cake is THIS monstrosity! She has two more siblings to take care of, which begs a very important question...

"Who's older?" Weiss asked out loud for everyone in the room to hear.

Jacques tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Which of us is older?" The heiress asked him again while pointing to herself, Emerald, and Mercury in regards to her question. "Winter is obviously the oldest being twenty nine years old-"

"Don't say my age out loud..." The former cop mumbled shyly, a blush of embarrassment rising up her cheeks.

Regardless of her older sister's remark, Weiss continued. "Whitley is obviously the youngest being... What? Seventeen years old?" She guessed while looking at her brother.

Whitley looked offended, crossing his arms with a pout. "Eighteen! Thank you very much!"

The young Schnee rolled her eyes in annoyance, ignoring him. "And, that makes me twenty one."

"What's your point, Ice Queen?" Emerald asked her, beginning to lose her patience. "We're both twenty one too." She responded in behalf of herself and Mercury.

"And before you ask, I'm the older one out of the two." The porter added.

The thief laid a hand on her chest, feigning hurt by his words. "That actually does wound my pride..." She admitted, much to Mercury's chagrin.

 **So, it's between me and him...** Weiss thought warily, fearing that her dominance as the eldest of the family was being threatened and hanging in the balance. It was a silly matter, sure, however the heiress absolutely refuses to listen to this, this- outsider. If he turns out to be older than her by a couple of months, days, weeks, or whatever.

"Oh, I see what's happening now!" Mercury realized in amusement, smirking all the while. "You feel threatened, don't you?"

Winter shook her head at her sister's childishness. "Oh Weiss, really?"

"Don't, 'Oh Weiss, really?' me! If you were in MY shoes, you'd feel threatened too!" The young Schnee defended herself with a fact.

As expected, the former cop was at a loss for words. "That is...true..." She slowly admitted the truth.

"Enough." Jacques laughed a bit, stepping in before things might get out of hand with his children. "And to answer your question Weiss... You are the eldest."

"YES!" Weiss yelled in victory, her pride swelling up to greater heights as her dominance within the family has remained untouched. Realizing that she made a complete fool of herself in front of her family, the heiress cleared her throat, acting as if nothing had happened. "N-Not that there's anything to be happy about!" She spoke insistently, trying to brush off her embarrassment.

"And I congratulate you on your victory," Her father praised his daughter's achievement. Jacques and Winter then proceeded to step out of the room. "And now, we bid you goodnight."

The heiress was confused, being horrified by the second as her father and older sister were exiting the room, without her. "Goodnight?"

"Of course, you'll be sleeping here with them!" Jacques told her, crushing Weiss' spirits with his answer.

"You can't do this to me, you can't leave me here with them!" The young Schnee cried as she practically threw herself on Winter, wrapping her arms around the older woman's waist. "Winter, PLEASE do something!"

"I'm sorry, Weiss. My hands are pretty much tied..." The former cop lamented to inform, prying her sister off of her. "Besides, I have a husband waiting for me at home." She added.

 **TRAITOR!** Her sister, _her best friend, her confidant!_ Betrayed her once again for a man! "Who's the groom?!" Weiss demanded an answer from her.

"Goodnight Weiss." And with that, the door closed.

"She left me..." Weiss fell to her knees in defeat. "Winter left me..."

Whitley came to her left, laying a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, dear sister. Winter might have left you to the 'wolves' as it were, but don't you worry. You can be a part of our pack! By the way, I'm the Alpha." He spoke, trying to lighten the mood.

"We're going to get along just fine!" Mercury came to her right, patting her right shoulder in a chummy manner.

Emerald surprised her from behind, wrapping her arms around Weiss' neck in a hug. "Top or bottom?"

"Excuse me?" Weiss was baffled by the sudden question.

"She means bunk beds." The youngest Schnee clarified to her.

The porter laughed. "Your mind went straight to the gutter, didn't it?"

"Who knew that our older sister was so frisky?" The thief teased the heiress, backing away before Weiss managed to elbow her ribs.

The heiress scowled at her. "Bottom."

"Then, I'll get the top." Emerald conceded, heading off to move her stuff.

Once the thief left, the boys went to do brotherly things while the young Schnee was left to her own thoughts...

 **Is this really my life now?** She wondered, suddenly feeling numb and tired. All of her energy felt like it was sucked away by the harsh, cruel reality called life and for a moment Weiss felt a century old. For she was reminded once again, what could she do except play with the cards she was dealt with?

* * *

 **A/N2: Poor Weiss! Who else feels sorry for her? I do! Now, before we go any further, let me just lay some notes/facts for this particular AU...**

 **Number 1 – Jacques Schnee will be first and foremost a good guy in this story. I can't tell you how many times I've ran into certain stories in where he's a bad guy! I understand that in the show he acts like that, but come on! There's literally, like, three possibly four stories I can think of from the top of my head (Not counting this one) in where Jacques acts like a good dad. FYI, this also includes his racism towards the Faunus. He is not holding a grudge over the Faunus in this story. The same reason applies to Adam Taurus and his hatred towards the humans. We all have good and evil inside of us, the same goes for fictional characters too!**

 **Number 2 – Emerald and Mercury and the rest of the RWBY villains that appeared on this chapter will have their pasts in tact with my own little spins here and there (Since it's an AU). Otherwise, I'm just having fun writing stuff up for them. Don't worry though, Ruby and the others will make their appearance very soon! PS. Did I catch you guys off guard with Emerald and Mercury's 'relation' to Weiss in this story? And, did I catch you guys off guard with the villains working on the hotel instead of Ruby and the others? Just curious.**

 **Number 3 – The term "Anchovies" is a term I use in real life in which I use to refer to a load of people traveling via bus on a trip or whatever. I'm working at a hotel so I see these people a lot, and it's usually a guarantee that it's going to be busy on the weekends. And for those of you who caught this Spongebob reference... Good on you! Give yourself a good pat on the back!**

 **Number 4 – For those of you that don't know, an ABC license stands for "Alcohol, Beverage, Commission". It's a five year permit to certify that you can serve alcohol to customers in an establishment.**

 **Number 5 – The nickname "Esmeralda" that Winter uses on Emerald is well...her name in Spanish. I just imagine Winter having a sexy Spanish accent overall, not to mention the tone of voice that she'd have whenever she says Emerald's name in this manner. I'd imagine it make Winter sound serious, but then again when is Winter ever not serious?**

 **Number 6 – Adam obviously isn't wearing his White Fang Grimm mask that he wears on the show. Instead, he'll wear a pair of black shades to obscure his eyes. Another thing, Roman and Neo's relationship for this story will be father and daughter. Nothing more. This is pretty obvious since you guys read the chapter, I know, but I still wanted to clarify this for those of you who might've missed it while you were reading.**

 **Number 7 – WHO IS WINTER'S HUSBAND?! Are you guys curious on who it is? Well, tough nubs! I ain't telling nobody! In fact, you guys can start guessing on your reviews, but don't you worry the answer for this agonizing question will be answered on a later chapter. So, STAY TUNED!**

 **Number 8 – There will be romance on this story, HOWEVER all of the ships in this story will be SLOW BURN and most of these ships will be CRACKED SHIPS! The only exceptions to this rule are FLOWER POWER, BLACK SUN, BAKED ALASKA (I'm guilty for this ship, I wish there was more of it!), and NEISS (Weiss and Neptune, for those of you that don't know). In my defense, these ships are not overly popular! Compared to White Rose and Bumblebee (And possibly Arkos), but that's MY OPINION on the matter. Otherwise, all the other ships will be completely random because I want to try something new and hopefully you guys will like to try it out with me as you read along, and I do hope that you guys will have patience and grant me the chance to do so for this little experiment.**

 **Anyway, as I stated previously on the beginning of this chapter: This is my very first attempt at an AU story. And, I wanted to try something new because the typical AU's that I see are either high school, college, and medieval stories. They're not bad, they're actually good! But, I wanted to do something different. I'm currently working at a hotel and so I thought, "You know, I want to write my frustrations of this job on a story." and so Hotel Schnee was born! A year later... Who knew that writing an AU could be so hard? But, I managed! Talking through my ideas of this project with my sisters every so often inspired me to keep on writing and I am so excited to FINALLY post this up on Fanfiction!**

 **So, what do you guys think? Do you love it? Recommend it to you friends! Spread it like a fatal disease! Is there ANYTHING I can improve on this project? Tell me on your reviews! The support will be awesome and appreciated it whether it's your comments, adding this story to your favorites, or even following this story is fine too! PS. I'll probably won't update for a good while, since I wrote a lot on this chapter, but please let me know what you guys think! If this project turns out to be a good one, I'll keep going, and if not well...I tried. Until next time! XD**


	2. This Job is Easy, Right?

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or any of its characters. They rightfully belong to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth!**

 **A/N: Guess who's back? I AM! And I am ready to unleash this brand new chapter! First of all, I will like to thank Blood Rose Knight, BetterTitles, KHARAKI TAKAN, and a guest reviewer for kindly leaving me a comment.**

 **I was certainly surprised by the amount of praise and encouragement I received for this particular project, and that also counts for faves and follows too! Thank you so very much! But, that's enough about me, I will leave the rest of my rant/notes for the end of this chapter. I hope you guys and gals enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: This Job's Easy, Right?**

When Weiss awoke, the first thing she noticed was a sharp pain in her back. She forced her eyes open, but quickly shut them again when they were met with the bright sunlight entering the room because of the open windows. The heiress groaned, sitting up on her desk chair as she stretched her back muscles.

Honestly, who's bright idea was it that she pulled an all night-er? Oh yeah, her. The young Schnee sighed as she closed her prep test manuals. She had stayed at this place for the last two days and so far Weiss had to admit that it wasn't so bad. Her new "siblings" not-withstanding, everyone else in this place are rather...interesting. Though, in actuality, some of the employees are shadier than others.

 **Emerald – For starters, she's a total fake. Nuff said. This girl needs an attitude adjustment, and for the life of me, I really can't wrap my head around why Emerald got hired in the first place. Sometimes I wonder if father even knows about Emerald's 'masks'...**

 **Mercury – This guy must be the biggest slacker I have ever met. A bit of a smart ass too, and apparently he likes being yelled at. In fact, Mercury makes it a contest of sorts just to see how many "hairballs" father might cough up by days end. And, I am willing to bet that father's lectures enter one ear only to come out the other...**

 **Adam – Red as the color that agitates him, or so I think, unless I've been lied to about this fact... Adam Taurus is by far the biggest mystery for me. Unlike the rest of the employees in this establishment, this apparent swordsman is a man of few words. Easy for his temper to flare, similar to Tyrian in that aspect, though personally I feel that Adam is much more tamed in that department. Oh, Dust! That was insulting, wasn't it? In Faunus terms? *Sigh* Good thing that this is all in my head... Please don't tell him I used the word "tamed" in that sentence...!**

 **Tyrian – Considering my near death experience on my first day here... I would normally say to steer clear from this guy, but once he actually found out who I was and who's family I was related to everything felt as if someone had pressed a reset button. If that did indeed happen, then it actually worked cause the first version of Tyrian Callows was not the same as the second version I was introduced to. Let's just say: I don't ever want to be on the other end of his stinger...ever...**

 **Cinder – I have met some people that tend to be absorbed into whatever they dedicate themselves to, but Cinder Fall might just take the first place trophy for this category. Mistaking me, of all people, from a pile of dirty sheets. Picking me up as if I weighed practically nothing... Either I need to start a new diet plan soon to try and gain some weight or I probably need to be feared at the strength department whenever Cinder is involved...**

 **Junior – If there was something I would use to describe Junior Xiong, then I guess I would describe him to be a big teddy bear. Silly, I know. Serviceable. And honestly, I don't really have anything to complain about him... The man looked shady upon first glance, sure, but that's actually it. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary that would practically scream out "criminal" to my eyes...**

 **The Malachite Twins – Or, as I kindly like to refer to them as: White Russian and Bloody Mary. These two clearly aren't Siamese Twins, but if by the off chance they were, I would say they'd be joined at the hip. Literally. It's rare to see the girls apart and unlike most twins I have met during my twenty one years of life... Miltia and Melanie are certainly an odd pair. They just seem bored with the world around them. I wonder if they even experienced an exciting outing, let alone having actually smiled for once in their lives. Though, my family and I certainly aren't one to talk in that aspect...**

 **Neo – As in, Neapolitan Ice Cream? If so, then who in the name of Remnant would name their child after a traditional dessert? I would think that Roman Torchwick would be responsible for that one. Admittedly, the young girl didn't seem criminally involved, at first glance anyway... If anything, I'd say that this Neapolitan is a shy, possibly mute, adorable girl. Come to think of it, I don't recall the girl saying a word to me since my arrival at this hotel. Roman did mention that his daughter was a bit timid, but even so it's been two days since I've arrived here and I have yet to hear a simple hello from her... Maybe, Neo really is mute after all?**

 **Roman – I don't even know where to start... First of all, what kind of man even wears eyeliner? The man looks like one of those pretty-boy types you'd see in anime/manga, heck, I'd totally believe it if Roman told me he used to be a part of some boy band group! Though, in hindsight, something tells me that Torchwick would shoot that thought down. He'd probably badmouth me for even thinking of it in the first place. Secondly, Roman doesn't seem like a bad guy. He'll certainly won't put up with anyone's shit, please pardon my choice of words, but other than that he seems like a hardworking individual...**

 **Honestly, I don't know what father sees in these people...** The heiress thought to herself, leaning her head against her folded arms. She suppose she shouldn't mope about it forever.

Weiss rose up from her seat and looked around her surroundings. The room was oddly quiet. Of course Emerald, Mercury, and even Whitley are probably working right now. Though, on Mercury's case, she highly doubts that he's doing any actual work...

"Well, I guess I should get ready for the day." The young Schnee headed towards the adjacent bathroom. "Torchwick wouldn't like it if I'm late for breakfast."

* * *

When the heiress made it to the kitchen/staff room, Weiss wasn't too surprised to find it empty with the exception of Roman, who was currently on break. The redhead sat back on a dining chair while reading the newspaper, enjoying a smoke from his cigar.

"Good morning, Roman." The young Schnee said in greeting.

The head chef looked up at her. "Good morning to you too, Schnee. Did you sleep well?" He chuckled a bit. "Oh, silly me! That's probably a stupid question 'cause I imagine that you slept like a baby."

 **He's certainly not wrong about that, not counting the slight ache I'm experiencing on my back...** Weiss blushed in embarrassment. "Y-Yeah. I'm sorry, I'm late. I got so caught up with-"

"No need to worry. Your father told me that you've been studying for your tests today, and so I wrapped up your breakfast in the fridge. You just need to heat it up." Roman reassured her.

"T-Thank you so much..."

"Don't worry about it, Schnee. I may be snarky with most of our guests as well as some of our employees here, but I do know when to act courteous." The redhead then put out his cigar on an ash tray. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to work."

"Roman, you don't have to be so formal with me." The heiress told him, taking her meal out of the fridge before proceeding to put it in the microwave. "You can call me Weiss." She reassured him, giving him permission.

"But I call everyone in your family Schnee, Schnee." Torchwick responded with a grin at noticing Weiss' eyes roll in annoyance. "Seriously though, ever since I started working here I've been referring to your father and your siblings as Schnee and I will always continue to do so." He then added. "By the way, the 'Schnee' doesn't count for Emerald and Mercury. I have standards."

 **I do not blame you in the slightest on that one.** Weiss thought in understanding, smiling a bit as she finally sat down with her breakfast, which was an omelet. "If you insist..."

"I do." Roman bowed his head in respect before leaving the premises.

 **I guess this Roman Torchwick isn't such a bad guy after all.** The young Schnee conceded as she began to eat, a hum escaping from her lips soon afterwards. The taste of bacon, ham, cheese, and obviously egg was delectable, warm, and gooey! **He's a pretty good cook too! Delicious!**

After finishing her breakfast, Klein kindly volunteered to be her driver for the day. A drive through downtown Mantle, Weiss managed to attend her ABC as well as her Lifeguard classes. Her ABC license was the easiest to get. The heiress only needed to pay attention to details from her instructors, take an open book test to see if she was paying attention, and then BAM! Licensed received.

The Lifeguard license however she needed to be extra attentive for this class. Not only that, this test in particular took most of the day to complete. After all, someone's life does hang in the balance on a almost daily basis. The young Schnee definitely needed to study up on this one since by the end of the class she had to take a test as well as perform the correct steps for CPR. Weiss is still wondering if performing CPR on a dummy counts as a technical first kiss or overall if that doll thing is even sanitary to begin with... I mean, there's more than one person taking the same test as her after all.

As soon as she was done with that, Weiss and the other students took a swimming test. A Lifeguard trainee needed to qualify on four categories: Age, most places accept Lifeguards at the minimum of fifteen years old. Swimming, a trainee must be able to swim 300 yards or 12 laps. Treading through water, a trainee must also be able to tread water for two minutes without using their arms. And lastly, how much time the Lifeguard-in-training will have to complete a timed event. The time event must be completed in or under one minute and forty seconds.

Now, all the young Schnee needed to do was wait for her results.

* * *

When she and Klein arrived back to the hotel, Weiss was absolutely exhausted by days end. She didn't even say hi to her brothers either, who were chatting among themselves, when she entered the room she shares with her siblings. Instead the heiress collapsed on her bunk bed, covering her eyes with her forearm in an attempt to block out the light in the room. Sleep unfortunately didn't claim her as Whitley demanded her attention...

"Hey, you're back!" The youngest Schnee spoke, excitedly as he sat on his sister's bedside. "How did your tests go?"

"My brain is fried and my muscles are burning with exhaustion..." The heiress mumbled out in response, still not moving from her position.

Mercury looked confused. "So, does that mean you failed or-"

At hearing this, Weiss sat upright on her bed, giving the porter the most fearsome glare she could muster. How dare he say such a thing?! "A Schnee _**NEVER**_ fails a test!"

" _You could..."_ The blue haired boy mumbled out, but not quietly enough it seems since the eldest Schnee was still glaring daggers at him. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry! You didn't have to blow a gasket about it."

"Dude, I know you didn't mean any harm, but that's a joke we don't take lightly in this family." Whitley told him, knowing the full extent of the Schnee Family History. "We're perfectionists for a reason..."

Mercury merely shrugged his shoulders, laying back on his bed. "Well, _excuse~_ me..."

Having calmed down somewhat, Weiss looked around the room for a moment. Was it just her or was someone else missing? "Where's Emerald?" She asked them.

"Her shift isn't over yet, but it will be soon." The youngest Schnee reassured her, and then he grinned. "In the meantime, we can get started on other matters!"

 **For some reason, I don't like where this is going.** The eldest Schnee thought worriedly, almost fearing for her life.

"Whitley and I have been talking..." Mercury started off.

"Knowing you two, it's something involving mischief no doubt." Weiss guessed.

Whitley laid a hand on his chest, clearly touched by his sister's intuition. "Oh! You know us so well, dear sister, and it's only been two days!"

"Two very interesting days. So, what do you boys have in mind?" The heiress asked them, ultimately deciding to humor them a bit. Nothing could possibly go wrong, could it?

"Nothing much. Little bro and I just wanted to welcome you to 'The Best Room'." Mercury answered, which made Weiss look at him in bewilderment.

"'The Best Room'?" The eldest Schnee repeated with a bit of skepticism.

The youngest Schnee nervously cleared his throat. "It's better that it sounds. I promise."

"Okay..." Weiss spoke out, slowly. "Though honestly, I don't see how this room is considered 'The Best' since most of its inhabitants are a bit...rowdy." She finished for a lack of better words.

"Hey now! I admit, we may not be the best bunch here but we at least KNOW how to have fun!" Whitley defended himself as well as his adoptive siblings.

"Give us a chance Princess. Once Emerald comes back from her shift, we're going to show you a grand time." Mercury promised her.

 **I highly doubt that...** The heiress thought to herself. No soon as Weiss had finished her thought, the door to their bedroom opened to reveal the thief, who had just finished her work shift.

"I'm back!" The greenlette announced her presence, closing the door behind her. "Did you guys miss me?"

"Welcome back, _**best**_ sister!" Whitley greeted her, welcoming the thief with open arms as he went to hug her.

Emerald smirked a little as she returned the hug. "I'd better be."

Weiss looked insulted. She couldn't believe that her own flesh and blood hugged a thief, who was a practical outsider, let alone called her "best sister". Though deep down, the heiress couldn't really blame Whitley for his actions. He was a technical only child 'till Emerald and Mercury came into the picture. Weiss wasn't sure how many years both Mercury and Emerald had been adopted into the Schnee Family, but one things for sure their trio bond as siblings is a strong one.

Mercury rubbed his hands together in glee, a mischievous grin appearing on his lips. "Now, the fun can really begin!"

"Speaking of fun, letters arrived at front desk and you-know-who received one..." Emerald purposely trailed off, snickering all the while.

"Excellent! A brand new episode of 'The Wall'!" Whitley exclaimed with excitement as he went towards one of the desks at the back of the room. He soon returned with four glasses. "Ladies and gentlemen, please grab your glasses."

Mercury and Emerald easily picked their glasses and headed off to a spot near Weiss' bunk bed, leaning the glasses against the wall as they put their ears onto the cups.

If the heiress wasn't confused before, then she certainly was now. "Glasses? 'The Wall'? What are we doing...?" She asked her little brother.

Whitley also occupied a spot on the eldest Schnee's bed, glass at the ready. "Just do what we do. And please, do be quiet." He cautioned.

 **If you can't beat them, join them. I suppose...** Weiss thought to herself, finding a spot on the wall to join her siblings.

It was weird, not to mention unsettling. The heiress had never eavesdropped on someone before 'cause of course that would be considered bad manners and nothing good actually came from situations like this. It was truly unbecoming of a Schnee, and yet here she was... Although it was quite muffled, Weiss could still manage to hear what was going on in the next room. It's definitely a man's voice, young, possibly trying to mimic a female's voice but the eldest Schnee couldn't quite figure out who it was.

 **Come on Weiss, who could it be? Whitley and Mercury are obviously out of the question. Father?** Weiss shuddered a bit, she just can't imagine her father doing something so...out of character. **Out of the question. Klein? Sure, the man has multiple personalities, but I'm absolutely positive that it's not him. Let's see there's Junior, Roman, Tyrian... Who else am I missi- OH! Oh, dear Dust...**

"Y-You're all terrible!" Weiss reprimanded them.

Mercury smirked. "And yet, you still keep listening."

"Shh! I think he's about to start!" Emerald hushed them, grinning for the upcoming hilarity.

" _Not. A. Sound."_ Whitley whispered to his older sister, who whimpered a bit as she thought of the possible consequences their actions would bring.

 _ **| My dearest Adam,**_

 _ **How have you been? I trust you're doing well. I've started to get settled down at Vale. It was a rough month, at least I thought so at first. My dad was upset with my decision to move, but my mother was all for it. She was real supportive of me, helping out whenever she could. Eventually, my dad warmed up to the idea and pitched in to help us.**_

 _ **The girls were a big help too. Once I arrived at Beacon Shores, Coco already had a list of furniture stores to check out for my new place. Ruby asked if I was planning on getting a pet; she kept trying to convince me to get a dog, but you already know how I generally feel about them... Yang helped take my boxes out of the truck; I keep forgetting how strong she is.**_

 _ **The first few nights at my new place felt awkward. It was lonely. I usually enjoy peace and quiet, but for once in my life I didn't welcome it. I'm used to it now though. I guess I just needed to adapt. The following weeks were so much fun hanging out with the girls between shopping, eating out, having sleepovers, that kind of thing. You're a boy, you probably wouldn't understand.**_

 _ **Ha, ha, ha. Look at me, rambling and I have yet to tell you the best part! Not long after moving in, I got a job as a Florist. I was so happy. I'm still happy. This might be silly, but I think my liking for flowers stems from my last name. Get it? 'Cause it's a flower? Ugh... Please, don't tell Yang I made a pun. I wouldn't hear the end of it if she does find out. Seriously though, my new job reminds me of our high school days. Do you remember? When we used to be a part of the Gardening Club. It feels almost like yesterday that you and I were arranging flowers for the Vytal Festival... I really miss those days, and that's why I treasure them.**_

 _ **There's so much I want to say, but I think I'm going to end it here. I'm looking forward to catching up with you on my next visit to Hotel Schnee! You're still working there, right? Hopefully you'll have the day off so that we can hang out and you can tell me what you've been up to.**_

 _ **Take care, Blake B. |**_

Adam sighed longingly. _"Soon, my Darling, very soon..."_

As soon as the contents of the letter was finished, all four Schnee siblings practically collapsed on the heiress' bed and howled with laughter. They kept laughing until their sides started to hurt from the exertion.

A knock sounded off from the right wall of their room.

" _CAN YOU KEEP IT DOWN?! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!"_ And that was the yell of a very, _very,_ pissed off Cinder Fall.

"S-Sorry Cinder!" Weiss nervously apologized on everyone's behalf, regaining her composure.

"Was that fun or what?" Whitley grinned at her, heading off to his top bunk on the other side of the room.

"Fun? FUN?! We almost got our heads bitten off by our residential housekeeper!" The eldest Schnee practically blew a gasket, but she kept her voice at a medium volume.

"Pfft. Not that!" Mercury said dismissively as he settled to his own bunk, which was under Whitley's. "We mean, _'My dearest Adam'._ " He clarified, trying to mimic Adam's female voice. "Man, oh man, does he have the hots for her!" The porter snickered.

Emerald laughed out loud, though it was much quieter this time. "Stop it Merc, you're killing me...!"

The thief's laughter must've been contagious cause a small giggle managed to escape from the heiress' lips.

 **No! Behave yourself Weiss, this childishness has gone too far!** Weiss mentally scolded herself, and so she took action. "Stop. This has gone far enough."

"'Stop', she says. If I remember correctly, you were laughing just as much as the rest of us." Whitley pointed out a fact.

"And for doing so, I feel ashamed of my actions. Which is why, I'm going to properly apologize to Adam the moment I see him tomorrow." The eldest Schnee decided.

"NO!" The youngest Schnee suddenly exclaimed, forming an X with his arms for emphasis. "Please, dear sister, I suggest that you reconsider that action." He begged, clearly not liking where this was going.

"Are you saying that I shouldn't apologize?" Weiss said in blasphemy, not seeing what the big deal was.

"N-No, I mean, yes, I mean..." Whitley closed his eyes and brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Why couldn't his sister just try to have some fun?

"Listen Princess, I know that you're trying to do the right thing, but we HIGHLY suggest that you shouldn't." Mercury warned her.

"And, why not?" The heiress asked, demanding an answer.

"You might send the guy off on a rampage and that wouldn't be good for the Schnee Family business." Emerald came up with a guess. "You see, our friend Adam is obviously a man of few words. A big mystery for the rest of us, and it just so happens that... These 'My dearest Adam' segments help us find out a little bit about him." She explained.

"By eavesdropping?!" Weiss scowled at them in disapproval. "This is the equivalent of reading someone's diary!"

"A hilarious diary...!" The porter added with a smirk.

"I told you to stop." The eldest Schnee reprimanded him while sending a glare his way, which promptly shut the man up.

"Relax, dear sister, we're just having a little bit of fun. Harmless gossip between ourselves." Whitley tried to calm her down. "We're not stupid. Besides, we have a motto here: Whatever happens in this room, stays in this room. You have our word." He promised.

"And we kindly suggest you do the same," The greenlette continued for him. She then noticed Weiss sending a scowl her way. "And before you start staring at me with accusing eyes, I take this matter very seriously. The mail always arrives at front desk. I just take a glimpse as I separate the guests' mail from the employees here and...coincidentally, I just happened see Adam's name in the pile." She said her side of the story as she brought her hands up in defense.

The heiress' icy glare did not ease up one bit. "I do hope that you don't read any of his letters...!"

"You really have it out for Em, don't you?" The blue haired man couldn't help but notice from his bunk, debating whether or not to intervene the soon apparent cat fight.

"I don't know. **_She's_** the one with the fake, rotten attitude." Weiss voiced out her honest opinion about the thief. Adoptive sibling or not, clearly their first meeting left the heiress with a very bad impression of her.

Emerald stood up from Weiss' bunk, having heard just about enough false discrimination against her. "Listen here, Ice Queen, you're not exactly the friendliest girl around the block either! I may be a thief, but I know better. I have standards!"

"Forgive me, but I'll believe it when I see it." The eldest Schnee spoke out with cold spite, swiftly turning her head to the side with a huff.

"Believe what you want. It's not like I care about your opinion anyway..." The thief said her final words for the night as she finally got up on her own bunk.

Weiss settled under the covers of her own bed. "Fine by me."

Uneasy tension filled the room and after five minutes of silence from both girls, Whitley dared to dip his head below his bunk bed to look at Mercury...

"Should we...do something?" The youngest Schnee asked his older brother.

Mercury merely stretched out his muscles, getting comfortable on his bed. "Leave them be. Trust me bro, you don't **_ever_** want to get involved in a cat fight."

" _We can hear you...!"_ Both the girls grumbled angrily from their side of the room.

"Love you too." The porter responded casually, ignoring their fury.

Whitley frowned a bit, laying back on his bed. Earlier, they were all having a grand time, but suddenly the mood turned sour really fast. He knew that there was going to be some tension between them upon Weiss' arrival, but he certainly wasn't expecting this.

The youngest Schnee sighed as he closed his eyes, willing himself to go to sleep. **So much for getting along...**

* * *

The next day, Jacques suggested that Weiss headed to the pool area. Her father thought that maybe Whitley might teach her a couple of tricks to get some experience in, just until Weiss receives her license.

The pool was not only loud, but also HUGE! Weiss decided to wear a simple white one-piece swimsuit, wearing a blue jacket that was tied around her waist to cover up her frame, and Whitley wore his blue Lifeguard t-shirt along with red shorts.

"Alrighty then! First order of business: Sunscreen!" Whitley declared as he tossed a bottle towards his sister, who caught it with ease and she simply stared at him in bewilderment.

"Seriously?" Weiss deadpanned.

"Don't look at me like that! We Schnees are super pale, I mean, if somebody decided to throw one of us in a huge pile of snow, nobody would be able to find us!" The young boy stated a fact, despite of the exaggeration added to it. "But hey, you do you, don't let me stop you from becoming a red lobster." He finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Point taken." The heiress responded while rolling her eyes. Regardless of her actions, Weiss obeyed and began applying the lotion. "So, can I really count on you for Lifeguard duty?"

Whitley looked offended, crossing his arms with a pout. "Of course, I take this job very seriously! Thank you very much!"

Weiss seemed unconvinced. "Do you now?"

"Yes! Now, let me ask you this: What do you think is the most important thing about being a Lifeguard?" The youngest Schnee asked his sibling.

"I don't know... Saving lives!" The eldest Schnee answered sarcastically, gesturing with her arm to a ton of guests who are currently occupying the pool that was filled with families, tourists, and the like.

"I'll pretend you didn't respond with sarcasm..." Whitley practically ignored her as he took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. It wouldn't be good to lose his temper in front of an audience. "Look, what I meant about that question is the perks, you know... Extra money, privileges, fringe benefits, stuff like that. Come on, take a guess." He encouraged her.

Weiss brought a hand up to her chin, deep in thought. "Aside from the pay, all I can think about on what's important to this job is monitoring, rescuing, education, and evacuation."

The young boy groaned, and as impatient as he was Whitley blurted out the answer. "IT'S DATES WOMAN! DATES!"

"Dates?" The heiress repeated in confusion. Last time she checked, dating was the least of her concerns... "How is that a perk on this job?"

"Are you or are you not twenty one years old? You must be single." Whitley flat-out responded, and he kept going with a guess. "I even bet that you haven't had your first kiss yet."

The youngest Schnee must've hit the nail on the head since his older sister was at a loss for words, her face settling with a flabbergasted look and her mouth opened to say some kind of retort, but no words not even insults came to her defense.

"S-Shut up!" Weiss yelled at him as she stomped her foot on the pavement, her face flushing with the most darkest shade of red Whitley has ever seen.

The young boy looked surprised at her reaction, raising a brow. "I only meant to get under your skin, I didn't think I was actually right."

"Shut. Up." The heiress spoke through clenched teeth, her temper about to flare at any moment.

"Alright, alright," Whitley raised his hands up in defense, giving up the topic. "I'm sorry that I brought it up in the first place..."

Weiss sighed, ultimately deciding to forgive him. "Fine. So, what does 'dating' have to do with the perks on this job?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The youngest Schnee said to her, thinking that his sister would've caught up on her own by this point. "You know, someone's in trouble and then we save them, and sometimes they want to show you their gratitude by, get ready for it..." He giggled a bit. "Going on a date!"

"Who in the name of Remnant would fall for something like that?!" The elder Schnee scoffed at the thought. "I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for you in your desperate attempt of finding a girlfriend."

Whitley took out his scroll from his shorts' pockets, and with it he started scrolling through his contacts. "I don't know, sister dear, but... I've actually gone out with lots of girls. For example: There's Matilda, Nancy, Helena, Brittney, Abby, Lori, and the list goes on and on." He brought his phone up so that his sister could see for herself, having a smug grin all the while. "I'd say I'm a pretty popular guy. And once I mention that I'm Schnee... Oh-ho-ho! That certainly seals the deal!"

"I-I can't believe you!" Weiss spoke, disbelieving as she scrolled through her brother's phone. She just couldn't believe how long this ridiculous contact list was. "You even threw OUR FAMILY NAME just for- You disgust me!"

The heiress returned her brother's scroll and soon after she stomped away in anger, leaving her brother behind.

Once she was a good distance away, Weiss stopped to think for a moment. _"That's a really long contact list..."_ She whispered, loud enough to hear herself. **Is he still dating one of them now?** The young Schnee wondered.

After torturing herself with possible answers, only to give up to her growing curiosity, Weiss turned around and headed back to the Lifeguard station. Whitley was monitoring the pool area from the high chair, scooping the area with a pair of binoculars he had hanging around his neck.

The youngest Schnee grinned, knowingly guessing that his sister had returned. "You came back. And, if I don't know any better... You're curious about my love life."

 **Damn him! He totally knew I was coming back...!** Weiss cleared her throat, dismissing her thoughts. "Me? Pfft! Preposterous!" She remarked.

"Then, why are you here?" Whitley asked as he finally dropped the binoculars, letting them hang around his neck.

"Because father told me that YOU where going to show me some real Lifeguard experience!" The heiress practically barked the facts at him, only for her to shrink a bit soon afterwards. "And, to ask you a question. Are you...dating any of those girls right now?" She added.

The young boy dropped down from the high chair, grabbing his older sister by the shoulders. "I knew you would see it my way!"

"You're not going to make me regret this, are you?" Weiss glared at him.

"Sister, please, have faith in me." Whitley practically begged her, showing a sweet smile.

The eldest Schnee was about to say a witty remark, but before she could a cry of distress sounded off by the pool side...

"HELP! I-I THINK SOMEONE'S DROWNING!"

Before Weiss could process what was going on, Whitley had spring into action. The youngest Schnee had quickly taken off his blue shirt and dived into the pool, swimming as fast as his body could take him.

Weiss couldn't believe her eyes on how fast her little brother acted to the situation at hand. No words. Just action. **I guess he really is serious about this job after all...**

"CLEAR THE WAY!" Whitley yelled from the top of his lungs as he got out of the pool, carrying his rescued victim. He then sent a demanding glare towards his sister. "Don't just stand there! Call 911!"

 **That's one Hell of a way to take charge little brother.** The heiress thought irritably, though needless to say she was proud of her sibling's heroic actions. "R-Right!" Weiss hurried over to the Lifeguard station and rummaged through one of the satchel bags, searching for her phone. Once she had it on hand, the eldest Schnee made the call.

Meanwhile, the youngest Schnee laid the young woman on her back and gingerly tilted her head back, opening an airway. He then checked for breathing, listening closely for no more than ten seconds. Since there was no sign of the woman breathing on her own, Whitley began to perform CPR. The young boy placed his hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest and began doing the necessary compression and rescue breaths as needed.

Weiss swiftly returned to his side, having finished with the call. "Is there anything you want me to do?"

"You can help me by telling our audience to give me some room!" Whitley ordered as he continued with his chest compression, about to head in to his fourth rescue breath.

Sure enough there was a bit of crowd gathering around them, the guests seemed not only shocked but also curious to what was going on.

 **Don't these people have anything better to do?!** The heiress thought exasperatedly as she stood in front of the large group. "There's nothing to see here ladies and gentlemen!" She told them, trying to guide the crowd as far away as possible to give her brother some room. "Everyone stay calm and please evacuate from the pool area , it's just until the paramedics arrive!"

Some guests grew concerned. "I-Is she going to be alright?"

"Is she...dead...?" Others were in shock.

"Oh my God, what happened?" And some simply stared when they arrived at the scene, their curiosities taking over them.

Personally, Weiss has had enough. "GIVE HIM SOME ROOM! You can gawk and stare all you like from inside the hotel!"

That seemed to get through the crowd as they immediately followed the heiress' orders, clearly not wanting to test her patience. No soon had they left, Weiss heard hacking from behind her...

The eldest Schnee turned around to find her brother gently help the woman to sit up once she had gathered her breathing. **Would you look at that? He actually saved her.** Weiss thought in amazement.

"Easy there, easy, I've got you." Whitley softly reassured the young woman.

The blunette looked up at him, her amber eyes shining with gratitude. "T-Thank you for saving me..."

"Just doing my job." The youngest Schnee answered professionally with a grin.

No sooner than that the paramedics had arrived on the scene and proceeded to check on the girl. Weiss and Whitley decided to walk around the pool side while the medics did their job. The heiress didn't know what to think, everything just happened so fast and Weiss felt frozen in place as she watched her brother spring into action.

"You were amazing..." The eldest Schnee spoke in awe, still staring up the distance as they walked.

Whitley stuffed his hands into his pockets, trying his best to keep his face neutral but it was a near impossible task since a hint of a blush had rushed up his cheeks in embarrassment. Why does his older sister have to make such a big deal out of almost every little thing? "It was nothing."

"Nothing? NOTHING!" Weiss exclaimed practically in outrage, her icy blue eyes widening in shock. "Whitley, you _**actually**_ saved someone's life today! I'd say that's something to feel proud of, moreover, you should be feeling good about yourself."

 **Good? How about embarrassed?** The youngest Schnee thought shyly, his face becoming redder by the second.

He then felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders, hugging him from behind. The heiress had laid her chin on top of his head, a small laugh escaping from her lips. "Who knew that even Whitley Schnee himself could be embarrassed?"

"Laugh it up, why don't you?" The young boy grumbled.

"In all seriousness, I really am proud of you." Weiss spoke honestly, smiling a bit as she let go of him. "And, I take back everything I said earlier... You do take this job seriously."

Whitley grinned. "You bet I do!"

"Um, excuse me..."

Both Schnee siblings turned around to see the young woman that Whitley rescued earlier. She looked much better compared to her drowned state before.

"Oh, it's you." The youngest Schnee spoke, surprised as his icy blue eyes widened upon the girl's sudden presence. "I take it that you're doing well. That's good Miss..." He trailed off a bit, hoping that the girl would respond.

"Cadence. My name is Cadence." The blunette repeated as she introduced herself. She then took a couple of steps to approach him. "I...I wanted to thank you again for saving my life. I'm really grateful."

Whitley scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, blushing once again. "It was nothing. Really."

"I disagree." Cadence smiled at him. Bending down to the boy's height, she laid a kiss on his cheek. The youngest Schnee stiffened upon the sudden action, causing the girl to laugh as she pulled away from him. "You're pretty cute. May I ask for my savior's name?"

"W-Whitley Schnee..." The young boy stuttered.

"Well Whitley, I'll be staying at your family's prestigious hotel for the next two weeks." The blunette informed him. "If you'd like, why don't we go out sometime?"

In order of not making a fool of himself, Whitley wordlessly nodded like an adorable idiot.

"Great! I'll be waiting~!"

Cadence had left, leaving the Schnee siblings to themselves. Weiss had the look of total blasphemy on her face, her mouth agape as she watched the scene unfold before her very eyes. **I can't believe that savior crap worked!** She thought in disbelieve.

Whitley turned to face her, having a goofy grin plastered on his face. "See! I told you that I'm a popular guy!"

 **I retract my previous statement... HE'S THE WORST!** The heiress thought with disdain as she pushed her little brother into the pool, huffing as she left the premises.

 **What the Hell is her problem?!** The youngest Schnee thought outraged as he surfaced from the waters, spitting out chlorinated pool water. "Yuck!"

* * *

After her Lifeguard duty was done for the day, Weiss had returned to her room to take a quick shower and grab a change of clothes. As soon as her hair and attire were presentable to her liking, the heiress stepped into the hallway and once she did Weiss heard someone calling out her name...

"Weiss."

The young Schnee turned to her right to find Jacques Schnee approaching her. The man's face was stone cold not with anger, but with seriousness.

 **This can't be good...** Weiss thought uneasily, already on edge. Regardless of it all, she decided to greet her father with a civil greeting. "Good day to you, father. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Good day." Her father responded in kind, showing off the barest hint of a smile on his face before it ultimately changed back to its earlier expression. "Is Mercury in his room by any chance?" He asked her.

The heiress shook her head. "No. I was the only one in there up until now. May I ask why?"

"That boy is supposed to be doing his porter/maintenance daily tasks! And since apparently he isn't here, I can only guess Mercury is hiding off elsewhere..." Jacques sighed exasperatedly as he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What am I going to do with that boy?"

"If you'd like, I can go find him for you?" Weiss offered. "I'm done training with Whitley for the day so maybe Mercury could teach me a thing or two about his job, once I locate him, of course. If I am planning to inherit this place, I must learn everything I possibly can in order to run it someday."

"That's a fantastic idea!" No sooner that he said that, Weiss could've sworn she saw her father's eyes flicker with emotion, tearing up for a moment before he gathered his bearings and continued speaking.

 **Is he proud, perhaps? ...Or, is he...sad?** The young Schnee wondered to herself.

"Maybe, you can kick him into shape and make him more diligent?" The elder Schnee chuckled then. "I'm afraid that's a bit too much to ask, even for you, to make that boy change for the better. Mercury's a full grown man now, and it is a choice he needs to decide for himself."

This peeked Weiss' interest. "Decide what?"

"Just ramblings of an old man." Her father spoke, dismissively. He then returned to their previous conversation. "I trust that your adoptive brother will be in good hands then?"

"Don't fret father. Rest assured, that Mercury will be in very good hands...!" The heiress reassured her parent.

Jacques chuckled once he realized his daughter's meaning behind those words, taking his leave. "I don't have to worry so much then. Have a good day, my dear girl."

"And you as well, father." Weiss smiled.

* * *

The manhunt for Mercury didn't take too long as Weiss expected, in fact, it was too easy thanks to Winter's advice on where to usually find the lazy oaf. According to her darling older sister: Porter is easily the most elusive, slacking job position on almost any hotel. Specifically, theirs. Mercury has a terrible habit of putting things off 'till the last minute, and truthfully the man never seems to have any kind of motivation whatsoever.

On most days Mercury would hide in the maintenance closet, the restrooms, the boiler room, housekeeping, and sometimes even the hotel rooms that have been set up as DNR. But today, his latest hideaway was front desk...

As soon as Weiss had stepped into the lobby, she spotted the porter chatting away with Emerald.

 **Ugh, great... I have to face _her_ again.** The heiress thought irritably, but nevertheless Weiss straightened up and went to face the music.

"MERCURY!"

The blue haired man jumped from the sudden yell, a hand to his chest to signify he indeed got scared for a moment. He turned around to look at the source, and he smirked upon seeing his older sibling. "Well, well, well... It's the Princess herself. What brings you here beautiful?"

"Shove it." The young Schnee scowled at him, not in the mood to play his games. "You DO realize that you have a lot of work to catch up on, right?"

"This again...!" Mercury groaned, slumping onto the front desk counter.

"Maybe, you wouldn't have to complain so much if you ACTUALLY stayed on top of everything instead of putting it off last minute!" Weiss reprimanded him.

"Lightened up on him, Ice Queen. He's just trying to live up to his youth." Emerald came to her brother's defense.

"Yeah!" The blue haired man said in agreement. "I work seven days a week at this place!" And then he lifted up his forearm to cover up his eyes, and with a dramatic sigh he continued. "Alas, even I feel my youth being sucked away from the cruel word that is 'responsibility'...!"

 **Oh, brother...** The young Schnee scoffed. "Honestly, how this place is still functional and running is beyond me?"

"Hey now, I'm not entirely incompetent! I do my work, I just take my time." The porter shrugged his shoulders, acting like this wasn't much of a big deal.

" **I just take my time", he says. If I had a lien for every time I heard that pathetic excuse, I'd be rich.** The heiress thought with a roll of her eyes. "As if! Your laziness knows no bounds. It is very unbecoming of a Schnee!"

Emerald sighed exasperatedly, leaning back against her office chair. "Here we go..."

"To be fair, I'm not a Schnee to begin with." Mercury countered, crossing his arms with a smug grin. "And even if I am legally related to you through adoption, you and your 'Perfectionist' ideals can go and take a hike off a cliff for all I care. I am not changing for **_ANYBODY!_** "

Weiss narrowed her icy blue gaze, glaring at him. **I've had just about enough of this nonsense!**

The young Schnee stood up on her tiptoes, grabbing a hold of the porter's ear and proceed to drag him. "That may be so, but it doesn't change the fact you have work to do mister!" She retorted truthfully, ignoring the man's pained yells behind her.

"Ouch! That really hurts!" Mercury whimpered, and he sent a glance Emerald's way. "Em, p-please, help me!"

The thief simply stared before she went back to her computer. "As much as I love you Merc, I'm afraid my break's over. Good luck." She finished saying as she waved them off. **Better you than me, pal.** The greenlette thought spitefully.

"You've got to be kidding me...!" The porter whined in defeat as he was ultimately dragged away by the heiress.

* * *

Soon after leaving front desk, the adoptive siblings walked down a hallway that will eventually lead to the maintenance room. Surely, they'll have plenty of stuff to do since a certain someone put it off last minute...

"Ouch!" Mercury rubbed his sore right ear, whimpering all the while. "Damn Princess! If you wanted me to come along, you could've just said so..."

 **Oh, NOW he tells me!** Weiss thought irritably. She merely turned her head with a huff in response to her brother's whines. "That wouldn't have happened if **_someone_** would've cooperated in the first place instead of putting up a fuzz!"

"I wasn't putting up a fuzz!" The porter insisted, clearly in denial.

The heiress rolled her eyes in annoyance. "The next thing you're probably going to tell me is that you weren't actually slacking off..."

"That's because I wasn't." The blue haired man adds his input. "Not entirely anyway..." He mumbled.

Weiss stopped walking and turned to face her adoptive brother, looking straight at his gray eyes. "Then, what were you doing at front desk? Pardon me for thinking so, but it looked like you were hanging out with Emerald instead of doing any actual work."

"I was simply telling Em that she should try to get along with you." Mercury answered honestly.

The young Schnee's eyes widened in surprise. She certainly wasn't expecting that. "Why?"

"You probably didn't notice it at the time, but Whitley was pretty upset last night over your apparent cat fight with Emerald. He was just trying to make us get along as siblings, which actually worked for a while, but things turned sour near the end." The porter told her. He then scratched the back of his head, emphasizing his slight discomfort. Clearly, this kind of awkward conversation was an unusual course of action for him.

 **I never knew he had the potential to be the serious type.** Weiss thought to herself as she listened to him.

Mercury sighed as he continued. "Look, I know that you're new here and all...having to deal with a new environment, new people, and of course new 'siblings'. We don't have to like each other to get along 'cause, quite frankly, I don't give a rat's ass on what anyone thinks about me. The same goes for Em. I just don't want our little brother to worry about things like this. Can we at least agree on that much? And just so you know, Emerald told me that she's willing to comply if you are."

Weiss was absolutely stunned from hearing Mercury's little speech. She never knew that the man cared about her little brother, enough to point of convincing Emerald to compromise to get along with the heiress, and all of it was for Whitley's sake. "You really care about my brother, don't you?"

The porter shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing. "Hey, he's my brother too for what it counts." He then chuckled as he added. "Em and I can't really say no to him once he puts his mind into something."

"Fine. I suppose I can compromise with you." The heiress relented, giving her answer.

Mercury smiled for the first time since their conversation started. "Thanks, Princess."

No soon had he said that, an old man stumbled through one of the doors in the hallway, grunting as he was carrying a couple of heavy boxes. Upon noticing him, the porter did a mad dash towards the elder man and took the boxes from his grasp.

"Mr. Gorim! How many times do I have to tell you? If you need help carrying stuff, then come get me!" Mercury slightly scolded the old man, who simply glared and grumbled angrily at him. Understanding what the elder man was trying to say, the blue haired man shakily chuckled. "Right... I'll try to be around more often."

Weiss tilted her head in confusion as she watched the two of them interact. "Who is this?"

"Oh, uh... Princess, this is Mr. Gorim." Mercury introduced the old man. He then approached close to the young Schnee to whisper. _"He's a veteran among all veterans when it comes to the employees here. Your father is trying to convince him to retire since the guy is over seventy. Plus, Jacques is concerned that the old man might hurt himself, but Mr. Gorim doesn't even want to hear the word 'retire'..."_

Almost as if knowing they were talking about him, Mr. Gorim beats the porter with a nearby broom.

"Hey, quit it! I wasn't talking smack about you! I promise!" The blue haired man insisted before he realized his mistake. "Oh. How rude of me?! Mr. Gorim this is Weiss Schnee, my other adoptive sister. She just arrived here a couple of days ago." He explained, introducing the heiress to his fellow co-worker.

Mr. Gorim stopped beating Mercury for a moment, bowing politely in greeting while showing a small smile.

Weiss returned the gesture. "Nice to meet you too."

The old man nodded in acknowledgment before he proceeded to beat the porter again with the broom, grumbling all the while, emphasizing that he has somewhere to be with those boxes.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Mercury rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. He then sent an apologetic look to his sister. "Sorry Princess, I don't want to leave him with all this heavy stuff... Tell ya what, since you agreed to a compromise in terms of our little deal, I promise that I'll finish half of my tasks today. I can train you some other day, if you're up for it?"

"That sounds acceptable." The heiress responded with a small smile, glad to hear that her adoptive brother was putting some effort. It was certainly better than none.

"Great. See ya later, Princess." Mercury smiled, but it was for a brief moment until he got smacked in the face with the broom. "Can you quit it?! I'm going, I'm going...!" He spoke hastily as he and Mr. Gorim left the premises.

As soon as they were out of sight and out of earshot, Weiss couldn't help but laugh. **At least someone doesn't hesitate to whip Mercury into shape.**

* * *

"Milady, that's too much water!"

"Uh, that's plenty of fertilizer...!"

"M-Milady!"

"TYRIAN!" The bull Faunus yelled at him.

"Yes, Adam?" The gardener responded, cowering a bit from the redhead's tone.

"Keep it down a bit, would ya? She's doing just fine!" Adam insisted.

Tyrian pouted. "I was just trying to be helpful..."

"Go be helpful somewhere else!" The swordsman practically barked at him, and then he pointed to a lawnmower that was a couple of yards from them. "In fact, why don't you go and mow the lawn?" He suggested. "Schnee and I can take care of things here."

The scorpion Faunus looked at the heiress, staring at her as if he were a puppy that got scolded by its master. "Is that what you want too, milady?" He asked her.

"I...think that would be for the best." Weiss answered him.

"As you wish..." Tyrian moped in response as he left them be, his tail dragging against the ground in his wake.

As soon as the gardener was out of earshot, Adam's stance significantly relaxed compared to before.

"FINALLY! I can think again!" The bull Faunus sighed exasperatedly in relief as he returned to the flowers he was previously attending. "You would think since he's actually older, he wouldn't act like a child."

Weiss groaned, staring at Tyrian from afar, who was slowly making his way towards the lawnmower. "Now, I feel strangely sorry for him..."

"Don't be, then he'll come back and be twice as annoying!" Adam grumbled.

 **What a grump! I don't know what this Blake woman sees in him because this man is as stubborn as a bull-** The heiress caught herself, cursing under her breath. **Forget I ever thought of that... Back to my previous statement, I wonder why this Blake woman calls him my-** Weiss snickered, unable to contain her thoughts at bay as she whispered. _"My dearest Adam...!"_

The swordsman physically stiffened, his eyes widening behind his black shades. "W-What did you say...?!" He spoke shakily, and yet demandingly at the same time.

"I said, _'My, oh my, Adam. I never knew that you enjoyed gardening! I've been wondering that to myself ever since I've first arrived here.'_ " The young Schnee repeated in a fake manner, hoping that the redhead would take the bait to clear off the suspicion. "I'm just curious as to why a man such as yourself decided to work at this hotel, of all places. Would you mind telling me your story?"

A long silence and stare down followed soon afterwards, and Weiss tried her absolute best to maintain a good poker face because if her face so much as twitched a muscle... It would all be over. Adam would obviously demand some answers and surely the heiress would crack under the pressure and blab her siblings' "comedy" segment out in the open, but as fate would have it...

"ADAM!"

Luckily for Weiss, the swordsman was the first one to break the stare off, haughtily sending off a glare at Tyrian's direction. "WHAT?!"

"I can't start the lawnmower!" The scorpion Faunus yelled pitifully from the distance, uselessly turning the wheel of the contraption.

"YOU CAN'T EVEN-" Adam held his tongue before he said something he might regret. "Find the key!"

"Key? What key?" Tyrian continued, clueless as he looked at all the buttons the cursed machine had to over. "I'm too old-fashioned! How do you even work this beast?!"

 **Old-fashioned? Try caveman. It suits you better.** The bull Faunus thought up a snarky remark. "It's practically a car! The key is in a tiny secret compartment! Just insert it into the ignition!" He instructed.

"But I can't drive!"

"Tyrian, you don't need a fucking license to drive a lawnmower!"

"Don't yell at me Adam! I'm sensitive!"

The thin line that was called patience snapped as Adam's face turned red scarlet in his rage. Within a flash, the redhead unsheathed Wilt, which in turn startled Weiss as the poor heiress fell on her bum in fright. And without a second thought, Adam tossed his sword with all his might at the scorpion Faunus, who obliviously ducked as he checked underneath the gardening contraption. Wilt banged against the machine's secret compartment, which was forced open to reveal the key.

Hearing the sound, Tyrian raised his head. "Found them!"

 **Damn, I missed...** The swordsman sighed heavily through his nose, similar to the animal he shared traits with. "Good for you...!" He grumbled.

Meanwhile, Weiss stared terrified from the sidelines as she tried her best to process what just occurred in front of her very eyes.

"D-Did I just witness a premeditated murder...?" The young Schnee mumbled in disbelieve, her body paralyzed with fear. **WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE?!**

* * *

"No, No, NO! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Winchester!" Cinder bowed, being on her hands and knees as she apologized. "A thousand pardons for our terrible mistake."

"You'd better be!" Cardin Winchester huffed angrily, passing a hand through his hair. "How can you expect my noble-self to lay on such common sheets?! I demand my bed sheets to be from the finest silks and nothing more!" He complained with utmost rawness.

Meanwhile Weiss, who sat in a similar position as Cinder, only difference was that she wasn't bowing and sputtering apologies. The heiress just didn't see why she should have to put up with a guest like him because as far as Weiss was concerned, she and Cinder didn't do anything wrong, and all because this bastard wasn't satisfied with the way they did things.

 **And here I thought the crowd I had to deal with at the pool was annoying...** The young Schnee thought to herself, resisting the urge not to roll her eyes from hearing Cardin's banter.

"Excuse me!"

Weiss couldn't help but scowl at the man as she let out an annoyed, "Hmm?"

"You're a Schnee, aren't you? Jacques Schnee's daughter?" The browned haired noble asked.

"Yes." The heiress answered with a scowl, glaring at him. "What of it?"

"Hey now, stop giving me that icy stare of yours! But, I guess that's alright..." Cardin relented before he gave her a glare of his own. "Word of advise, Schnee. I spend good lien to be a regular at this place and I expect to be treated like royalty! How do you think a man like me stays rested to participate in the HHBP?"

A question that was supposed to be in her head, came out of her mouth instead. "What the Hell is an HHBP...?" Weiss inquired bluntly, not that she regrets doing so.

Cardin Winchester's face had the look of someone who was constipated and was in desperate need to use the toilet, that's how stupefied he was by the young Schnee's question.

Cinder couldn't help but snicker at the sight of Cardin's reaction. "Mr. Winchester, if need be, you may use your restroom facilities..."

"WHAT?! NO! SHUT UP!" The noble man silenced the housekeeper. He then stared at Weiss with a flabbergasted look on his face. "As for you, how could not know about the Hunter & Huntresses Battle Preliminaries?!"

"Forgive me, I hardly watch television. Unlike my mother, I rather do something more productive." The heiress answered honestly.

"The HHBP matches is essentially a world-wide tournament where warriors get to compete for glory. It is to honor the memory of our old ancestors, who once roamed Remnant to exterminate the creatures of Grimm." Cinder explained. She then leaned towards Weiss to whisper, _"Just between us milady, Mr. Winchester may be a 'professional' athlete as he likes to put it, but most people in Remnant would say otherwise... The crowd favorite shall and will always be, The Great Amazon: Pyrrha Nikos. The young lady is a natural on the ring and most people consider her to be the bees' knees. The best, the ideal, the ultimate perfection. Ms. Nikos has been a rival to Mr. Winchester for years, but alas, the man has never won a single match. As things stand right now, Ms. Nikos is at the top and Winchester is at the bottom of the food chain as it were..."_

Cardin growled, clearly displeased. "I'm right here you know! I'm not deaf!"

"I never said you were." The housekeeper spoke, bluntly as she gave the man a sweet smile. "And I never said you were good either." She added.

"Mark. My. Words. Pyrrha Nikos will _**crumble**_ at my feet at our next match! Just you wait!" The browned haired man proclaimed to them through clenched teeth as he exited his room, not before saying, "And this room better be spotless and up to my liking by the time I come back tonight!"

The door to the hotel room slammed harshly upon Cardin's departure, and both women's postures relaxed considerably once the man finally left...

"Well, he certainly was flattering..." Weiss remarked sarcastically.

Cinder brought her arms up in a stretch, standing up from the carpeted floor. "I know, right!" She agreed as an evil smirk worked its way up on her face. "Let's mess up his room."

The heiress' eyes widened in response to her co-worker's proposal. "Mess it up? Aren't you supposed to train me on how to clean the rooms?"

"Oh, that. Don't worry about a thing milady, I can show the proper procedures some other day!" The housekeeper reassured her, dismissing the young Schnee's concerns away.

Weiss still looked unsure. "I don't know..."

"Milady, surely, you didn't appreciate the man's behavior and attitude towards the two of us, am I correct?" Cinder asked.

"No, and I didn't enjoy that one bit." The heiress answered honestly, a scowl showing on her face as further confirmation.

"Excellent!" The housekeeper's evil smirk returned almost ten fold, a plan formulating at the forefront of her mind. "And, I have an arrangement just for the occasion! Follow me!"

When Cinder exited Winchester's room, Weiss followed suit, and the young Schnee found her co-worker near her housekeeping cart. The older woman was fondly rubbing the cart's surface as if to signify its importance. "Welcome to my Cart-of-Wonder, where we will gladly sabotage a guests' day in a matter of seconds!"

"So, I'm guessing whatever we're going to use is inside your cart?" The heiress inquired, eyeing her co-worker suspiciously. If she hadn't heard Cinder's slogan, Weiss just couldn't shake the fact that something bad was going to happen...

"Correct!" Cinder beamed maliciously, searching through her housekeeping cart for the perfect item that will be part of their revenge. "Aha! I found her!"

"Her?" Weiss repeated, tilting her head in confusion.

"Tell me, milady, do you like spiders?" The housekeeper questioned, her amber gaze never leaving the cardboard box she was holding in her hands.

 _ **WHY IN DUST'S NAME WOULD SHE HAVE A...?!**_ The young Schnee couldn't even finish the thought. She suddenly felt her throat dry up, but regardless Weiss swallowed heavily all the same. "N-No, I d-don't..."

"Then, let's hope that our 'friend' Winchester does...!" Cinder cackled with villainous glee.

 **It's official. Cinder Fall _TERRIFIES_ me!** Weiss mentally decided. "Cinder, no! Are you crazy?! Okay, sure, I hate the man, but I don't want to poison him! Do you know how much trouble we or the hotel itself could get into?!"

"Oh, heavens no! I only mean to scare Winchester's pants off, in a manner of speaking, not kill him." The housekeeper told her true intentions. She then showed the heiress the box. "What I have in here is a Funnel Weaver Spider. They are usually found in homes and are completely harmless. This kind of nonpoisonous spider is usually mistaken for the Brown Recluse. The black markings in their abdomen make them different from one another. So you see, it's all one harmless prank." Cinder reassured. "I may have my own version of fun, but I do keep in mind not to make your father be involved in a lawsuit of any kind. This, I promise."

Feeling a sudden weight disappear from her already stiff shoulders, Weiss sighed in relief. No sooner than that, guilt and any further consequences from this event also vanished within a blink of an eye as the heiress' icy blue eyes had a mischievous gleam to them as she spoke...

" **Cinder, commence the preparations for our revenge."**

* * *

"You should've seen him! I swear, my husband barely looks me in the eye anymore..."

Neo nodded sympathetically, signifying that she was indeed listening as she hand dried some bar glasses. Weiss simply stared at the young girl before her, studying her as the girl listened to the guests as she worked. It was odd, but Neo was doing a good job as far as the heiress was concerned. What astonished Weiss the most was that the customers kept on talking and the young girl simply nodded whenever it was necessary.

"I don't get it..." The young Schnee spoke in confusion, crossing her arms as she watched her fellow co-worker performing her duties.

Junior came in from the bar's side door with a handful of alcohol boxes, overhearing Weiss' slight dilemma. "Get what?" He asked.

"Her." Weiss responded, pointing at Neo. "How come the guests go along with it? Don't they find it rude or weird that she isn't talking with them?"

"Torchwick's little gal? She's actually one of those strong-silent types." The bartender answered her, setting the boxes down. "I'm sure that she speaks when spoken to, she simply chooses not to."

"And, why not?" The heiress inquired, genuinely curious.

"I'm not sure actually. I think Roman told me something about it a couple of years ago, but I can't seem to recall the reason why..." Junior retorted, trying to remember the talk he had with his fellow employee.

Weiss merely nodded in understanding, she really couldn't fault the man for not recalling something. "I see..."

"Regardless, Neo and I have our own way of doing things to manage the bar. I willingly provide conversation on whatever they want to talk about while Neo simply listens to their banters on her side of the bar." The bearded man explained as he headed to the back room, the young Schnee following suit. "It's pretty efficient and the guests rarely complain about it."

"Complain?" Weiss repeated, catching on to that particular word.

"Please, don't misunderstand Ms. Schnee. Sometimes the customers don't like our alcohol prices and so they brat about a million reasons on why they should get it for free." Junior clarified, starting to do some inventory. Keeping count on the varieties of alcoholic and a couple of different mix drinks he might need to order for the next truck delivery.

The heiress looked surprised. "People can't be THAT serious about their alcohol, can they?"

"You'd be astounded milady." The bartender responded. "People complain about our prices, the glass sizes, and the amount we serve our beers, wines, and shots. The way I see it though, if they're going to complain on how we do things around here then they should stop by whenever we have Happy Hour specials or go to a nearby gas station or something to buy their own damn beer."

"That does sound annoying..." Weiss agreed with him.

"Tell me about it. Before you arrived, our bar hours used to be from 5 O'clock 'till midnight and even then the guests come to us employees early asking for alcohol. It was such a constant occurrence to the point where your father was forced to extend bar hours, which is why we open at 2 O'clock in the afternoon now." Junior explained with a sigh, crossing his arms.

The young Schnee nodded sympathetically. "Do you guys experience any trouble with drunk guests?"

"On occasion. Though, two people in particular come to mind on that category..." The bearded man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We DO have the right as well as the responsibility to stop a customer when they clearly had a bit too much 'cause if something were to happen to them, then the fault lies solely on us."

"Now, that doesn't seem fair..." Weiss commented with a pout.

"I think so too, but unfortunately...it's 'The Law'." Junior finished with a mocking tone.

Halfway through checking the inventory, the bartender grumbled under his breath...

"Damn, I completely forgot about the Yuengling...!" The bearded man cursed at his inattentiveness. "I'm sorry to cut this conversation short Ms. Schnee, but I need to hurry back to the general store. If the guests don't get their precious beer, we'll surely have a riot of some kind on our hands."

"We certainly wouldn't want that now, would we?" The heiress stifled a laugh at the back of her hand. "It's alright Junior, Ms. Torchwick and I can handle things here." She reassured him.

"Great idea! I'll be back as soon as I can milady." Junior bid her farewell as he left the premises, walking with a sense of purpose as if he were on a mission.

"Take care." Weiss wished him luck as the bearded man departed.

Now that she was alone, the young Schnee decided to rejoin Neo at the front. When she opened the door, Weiss was happy to find that the young girl was by herself with no guest in sight. Neapolitan was gathering all of the empty bar glasses from the counter and placed them on the sink, getting ready to wash them.

 **Perfect! This will be a great opportunity to get to know her.** The heiress thought to herself in determination.

Neo looked up at Weiss once she noticed her approach, acknowledging the young Schnee with a polite nod as she continued washing bar glasses by the sink.

 **Still silent, eh?** Weiss then grabbed a washcloth and cleaning spray from the cabinets, and proceeded to clean the bar. As she began cleaning, the heiress decided to provide some small talk. "So, it's been kind of slow today hasn't it?"

The young girl merely nodded in what Weiss can assume was an agreement.

"The weather's nice today too." The young Schnee commented.

In response, Neo looked up for a moment to notice the clear sunny skies before she ultimately shrugged her shoulders and returned to her previous task.

Weiss' eye twitched in irritation. **Does this girl ever talk? And, what's with that shrug? Does she mean, "It could be better" or "I kind of wish it wasn't that hot outside"?** She then sighed in defeat. **Why am I even trying? I'm probably annoying the heck out of her and she's possibly being nice to me since I'm related to father...**

"Ms. Torchwick."

Neapolitan stared at her, giving the heiress her undivided attention.

"Please. Be honest." Weiss pleaded with her, heading straight to the point. "Am I...being a nuisance to you right now? It's okay, I promise I won't be mad."

The young girl's eyes widened in shock and she frantically shook her head, trying to tell the young Schnee that was not a problem.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Torchwick. I'm having a bit of trouble trying to figure you out..." Weiss shyly admitted, scratching the back of her head. Boy, was this awkward?!

Neo pouted as she glared at the heiress.

Startled from that sudden reaction, Weiss questioned her. "What? Did I do something wrong, _**Ms. Torchwick?**_ "

Neapolitan's pout and glare intensified, crossing her arms in irritation.

The heiress' eyes widened in realization. "Oh! You don't want me to call you Ms. Torchwick. Is that it?"

The young bartender nodded her head, her pout and glare gone as Weiss managed to figure it out on her own.

"Well, if you insist..." The young Schnee trailed off, trying to recall the girl's name. What was it again? Weiss tried to remember, but surely nothing came to mind. Her brain had gone completely blank in trying to come up with an answer. **Oh, Dust! I really can't remember! This is so unbecoming of a Schnee...! Not to mention, this is beyond rude at this point!**

Sensing her inner turmoil, Neo made a gesture as if she was stifling a giggle at the back of her hand before she brought a hand up to her hair, pointing to her colored trio in hope that Weiss would get the hint.

But instead this is what came out of the heiress' mouth... _"VanillaCocoPink...?"_

Neapolitan blinked repeatedly, her mouth gaping open in disbelieve. She'd never guessed that someone would royally mess up her name, let alone having that person to be Weiss Schnee herself. Surprisingly enough, instead of being angry, she laughed.

Weiss' icy blue eyes widened upon hearing the young girl's laughter. She then recalled Junior mentioning something among the lines of, _**"Torchwick's little gal? She's actually one of those strong-silent types. I'm sure that she speaks when spoken to, she simply chooses not to."**_

 **She DOES speak!** The young Schnee thought in blasphemy, her face flushing in an incredible shade of red at the fact she made a fool of herself in front of her co-worker. **Right now, I just wish that the ground would swallow me whole...**

Her humiliation soon dissipated however as a soft, adorable voice soon managed to catch Weiss' hears like a melody. Honestly, in the heiress' opinion, Neo's voice was like an angel's.

"Please forgive me, Ms. Schnee. I did not mean to laugh at you as I did." The young bartender apologized, wiping her eyes as tears welled up from her earlier exertion. "In fact, I never meant to in the first place, but it seems like you have broken my silence with your...humorous blunder. And by the way, my name isn't VanillaCocoPink~!" She giggled a bit. "The name's Neapolitan, you know, like the traditional ice cream. Neo for short."

The young Schnee's blush soon returned before she coughed awkwardly in order to dispel her embarrassment, regaining her composure. "Why keep silent? Neo, you have a beautiful voice. It's truly a shame not to hear you speak, and here I thought that I was an annoyance to you this entire time."

"Unfortunately, milady, this is a terrible habit of mine..." Neapolitan's eyes shone with a hint of sadness. "I just simply choose to listen."

That sad look did not escape the heiress' notice. "But why?" She insisted upon asking, genuinely curious to know the truth.

"Please, milady, don't waste your valuable time asking such trivial questions... Instead, have solace in knowing that I haven't laughed like this in such a long time." The young bartender smiled at the heiress, gathering the clean glasses from the sink as she headed back to work. "Thank you for that."

"Wait."

Neo stopped on her tracks and looked back at the young Schnee from over her shoulder. "Hmm?"

"So, what? Is that it? After I discovered that you can actually talk, you're just going to go back acting mute?" Weiss interrogated her, clearly displeased.

Neapolitan faced forward, refusing to meet the heiress' gaze. "Ms. Schnee. I personally prefer not to speak. Is that so bad? I'm not an interesting individual to begin with, and I do hope that you keep this little secret between us..."

"Does anybody else know?" Weiss asked her.

"Just my daddy Roman, and now you." The young bartender responded, holding the dish tray in her hands so tightly 'till her own knuckles turned white. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep it that way."

"Of course." The heiress promised, almost feeling like she didn't have a choice on the matter, though secretly she locked two fingers behind her back.

"Thank you." Neo spoke in gratitude, leaving to the back of the bar.

Admittedly, deep down Weiss felt guilty for not keeping this certain promise. **Forgive me Neo, but for once I will let curiosity get the better of me. Aside from Adam, I'd say you'd be next in line in the mystery category.**

* * *

A small group of people consisting of Roman, the Malachite twins, and finally Weiss sat conversing in one of the tables of the restaurant while they waited for opening time. Loud laughter could be heard at the restaurant, which in turn echoed throughout the lobby...

"Quiet down! You're all acting like a pack of hyenas!" Weiss scolded them, urging them to tone it down a bit. She then pouted. "How come you guys don't believe me? I'm telling you, Neo really did talk to me!"

" _VanillaCocoPink...!"_ Roman snickered quietly to himself, that was until he ultimately succumbed to the hilarity of the nickname, unable to contain his laughter any longer.

The Malachite twins also continued to laugh. Miltia stopped long enough to say, "Yeah, right, hearing Neo talk is like saying-"

"Mercury actually finished all of his work!" Melanie finished off her sister's sentence.

 **Why do I even deal with these people?!** The heiress thought irritably, a scowl working its way up on her face as she crossed her arms. **I can't believe that they don't believe me! Especially, Roman! Wait a minute...** Weiss then recalled Neo mentioning that aside from herself, the other person that knows Neapolitan can actually talk was... "ROMAN TORCHWICK!"

The head chef seized laughing and straightened up in his seat. "What? What's going on?!" He asked frantically while looking around his surroundings.

"How dare you accuse me of being a liar?! Out of everyone here, you should definitely know what I'm talking about!" The young Schnee spoke in outrage.

Roman simply stared at her. "Whatever do you mean, Schnee? I don't know what you're talking about."

 **Now, I KNOW he's toying with me!** Weiss thought angrily, close to losing her patience.

"I'm serious, Schnee." Torchwick insisted, putting his hands up in defense while he did the shifty eyes. "I have absolutely no idea that VanillaCoco- Damn it!" He cursed, catching himself. "I MEAN, NEO! I have not heard my little girl's voice since she was younger! So, forgive me for not having a good memory."

Luckily for them, the person in question had finally arrived.

Neo stood in her waitress uniform as she put a bag of clothes under the counter of the register, ready to start her restaurant shift. Feeling watched, the young waitress looked up to find everyone staring at her.

Neapolitan tilted her head in confusion and signed to them, trying to find out what was going on.

Bewildered herself, the heiress turned to the others. "Translation please?"

"She said, "What are you guys staring at?" Miltia helpfully translated.

"We're looking at you, silly." Melanie answered the waitress' question.

Roman let out a shaky chuckle. "Schnee here was telling us on how you apparently started talking to her, crazy huh?"

At hearing this, Neo turned to look at Weiss with pure disapproval reaching her eyes and for the first time in her life the young Schnee had never felt so ashamed as she is now.

Unbeknownst to the sudden tension in the air, the Malachite twins continued to tease the heiress as Melanie starting with, "Oh yeah, Ms. Schnee was also telling us of how she _**'accidently'-**_ "

"And by that, we mean royally." Miltia added.

The older twin giggled as she continued. "Screwed up your name. I mean, who does that? Your own hair color is a dead give a way that your name is Neapolitan, but instead-" She snickered. "She, she called you...!"

" _VanillaCocoPink...!"_ Roman sputtered as he turned his head to the side, trying to hide the fact that he was laughing.

Neo's eyes narrowed on the heiress, and Weiss felt herself shrink further in her seat. " _ **M-Ms. Torchwick,**_ I can explain..." The young Schnee caught herself when the young girl added a pout to her scowl. "Drat."

It was too late to try and fix anything as Neapolitan came forward and grabbed Weiss' wrist, dragging the heiress off into the kitchen away from the others. They kept walking until they've made it into the storage room. After making sure that this room was perfect to hold a conversation in, Neo released the young Schnee and went to lock the door, but once she did Neapolitan did not turn around to face Weiss...

A terrible, uneasy silence followed soon afterwards, and it was complete torture for the heiress as she waited for Neo to say something. Anything to end the awkwardness between them, but nothing came.

Weiss couldn't take it anymore and so she spoke, "I take it that you must be angry with me..."

"For breaking your promise?" Neapolitan finally talked, but the young Schnee couldn't sense any emotion behind her words. "I should be."

"Neo, I am so sorry." Weiss apologized, her shoulders slumping in obvious disappointment at herself. "You've trusted me with your secret and instead of keeping your trust I...ruined it." She said in shame. The young waitress crossed her arms, which the heiress took as a bad sign since Neo had yet to face her, but unbeknownst to Weiss... Neapolitan was smiling as the young Schnee continued to talk. "I would understand completely if you don't ever want to talk to me again..."

Silence fell upon them once again, and by this point Weiss was fearing the worst.

Neo finally turned to face the heiress, however the girl's facial expression was void of any emotion. "Well, it serves you right for slandering my trust in the first place...!" Amusingly, Weiss' posture shrunk considerably as the poor girl hung her head in shame. And so, Neo smiled, deciding to give the young Schnee a break. "But, I think I can forgive you since you've already suffered enough through my silence and everyone else miraculously not believing you in the first place."

At hearing this, Weiss' head shot up in surprise. "Do you really mean it?"

Neapolitan simply nodded in response.

The heiress sighed in relief in knowing that the worst was over. "So, I take it we're going back to the awkward form of conversation, huh?"

"Not necessarily." Neo answered. "We can meet up on occasion like this, communicate through paper, or better yet, I can teach you sign language if you'd like." She offered.

Weiss smiled, happy to know that she made a friend of sorts in this unusual workplace. "That would be lovely."

* * *

After the rather stressful ordeal, and her first day of work officially done, Weiss decided to catch a break. The heiress sat on one of the benches in the hotel courtyard, lost in thought as she recalled today's events...

It started off with a simple Lifeguard lesson, which ended up with her wounded pride in terms of the dating department. Hunting down her lazy-ass adoptive brother, who miraculously wasn't slacking off on the job and instead he was trying to make amends between Weiss and Emerald on the heiress' behalf.

Weiss groaned as she leaned her head back against the bench, staring up at Atlas' sunny and yet cloudy skies.

The young Schnee still needed to talk with Emerald. Both women had been avoiding each other like the plague since their apparent cat fight last night, but honestly... Even though she compromised to Mercury's proposal, Weiss couldn't accept the fact that she would have to apologize to the thief. Part of the heiress realizes her own mistake of accusing Emerald left and right for almost every little thing, meanwhile on the other half she felt too proud and bitter to admit she was at fault.

 **Ugh. What is wrong with me? Am I really still angry over our first meeting?** Weiss wondered to herself, closing her eyes. **Well, in my defense, Emerald wasn't exactly courteous. I personally think that I don't hold any grudges but...** The young Schnee released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "I'm such a horrible person..."

"Now, why on Remnant would you say that about yourself?!" A familiar grumpy voice spoke out in disapproval.

In a flash, Weiss opened her eyes and sat up on the bench. Once she did, the heiress was surprised to see her own butler. "K-Klein!"

Klein Sieben was not a happy man at the moment as he looked at his mistress, holding a tray filled with two coffee mugs. His eyes weren't their usual light brown color, instead they were red, which only meant one thing...

 **He's grumpy...!** Weiss deducted in her thoughts, already preparing for the possible worst. "What brings you here?"

"My apologies for 'sneaking up on you', Ms. Schnee. That was not my intention." The servant apologized, extending his tray towards the young Schnee, who graciously accepted a cup. "I saw you alone and so I thought you could use some company and a hot cup of coffee."

"Thank you, Klein. You're too good to me." Weiss smiled, already having a sip of the drink. The pleasant, rich, strong, bitter taste of coffee was already flooding her senses. She really loves Klein's blend. The man just knew how to make it, just the way the heiress likes it.

Klein's eyes changed color again, this time to a yellow hue as a warm twinkle reached his eyes. "Anything for my little snowflake." He then sat beside his mistress. "Milady, I know that this might be overstepping my bounds, but what you were saying earlier..."

Weiss merely shook her head, dismissing her servant's concerns. "It's nothing, Klein. It was just a stupid thought, that's all..."

"Forgive me for saying so, Ms. Schnee, but this 'silly' thought of yours has me concerned." Klein spoke honestly, obviously not convinced. "Please. If you ever need to talk, I'd be happy to listen..." He offered.

The young Schnee thought about it. Klein Sieben was more than just The Schnee Family Butler. To Weiss, the man was not only a father figure to her but also a dear and loyal friend, one that the heiress wouldn't dare to trade for anything in this world. With that in mind, Weiss came to a realization...

 **Come to think of it...Klein is also the other newbie in this place, aside from myself that is. I wonder what he thinks of the people here?** The young Schnee thought with genuine curiosity. "Klein."

The servant turned his head upon being called, giving Weiss his undivided attention. "Yes, Ms. Schnee?"

"Tell me. What do you think of the people here?" The heiress asked him. She then added in reassurance, "And don't worry, I promise I won't be mad. You're free to speak your mind."

"Honestly, I like it here. It's certainly a nice change of pace, not to mention lively, compared to The Schnee Family Manor. The people here have their quirks, but personally I think that's what makes this place interesting." Klein gave a straightforward answer, smiling so.

 **At least one of us has a refreshing opinion about this place.** Weiss thought in amusement. She then perked up when her butler continued speaking.

"Moreover, I am happy that I got to see Master Jacques, Miss Winter, and of course Young Master Whitley again..." The servant admitted, the yellow colored hue returning to his eyes yet again. "Nothing makes me happier than to serve the family I am destined to care for the rest of my days, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Klein's sincere answer warmed the young Schnee's heart, hearing the truth behind his words. Weiss closed her eyes in a vain attempt to stop the tears that were starting to well up, but obviously she failed to keep them at bay as they silently slid down her cheeks. In order to hide them from her servant, the heiress leaned against the man's shoulder, obscuring her face from view.

Klein didn't seem to mind, but he felt the need to ask regardless. "Are you alright, Ms. Schnee? Is anything bothering you still?" He questioned in concern.

"No, not anymore." Weiss sniffled. "Thank you, Klein. For everything."

* * *

The following day was a brand new day for the heiress, a fresh start as it were. The conversation she had with Klein yesterday was a true eye opener for Weiss because it made her realize something. The Schnee Manor and Hotel Schnee may have their differences, one being lonely and empty while the other was random and lively along with its inhabitants, and while the young Schnee may not like the sudden change of environment she'd have to admit that it was a nice change of pace. And since her current goal was to inherit her family's business, then she might as well start to get along with her future employees...

Her training today started at the front desk, but it was a miraculously slow shift so far and so the girls were relaxing for the time being: Winter was in her small office in the back, trying to catch up on financial reports and start scheduling banquet days and other small events. Emerald was on the front desk computer playing video games, and finally Weiss sat beside the thief while reading an HHBP magazine, though admittedly, the young Schnee wasn't paying too much attention to the reading material in her hands and instead she was stealing glances towards her adoptive sister every now and then in hopes to start a conversation.

 **If only we weren't fighting, I think starting a conversation would be ten times more easier if I didn't have to apologize to her...** Weiss thought irritably to herself, letting out a sigh to her slight dilemma.

" _What?"_

The heiress turned her head to look at the greenlette, a bit startled to hear her speak.

"What do you mean by, "What?" Weiss interrogated, obviously not liking her sister's tone.

Dismissing the young Schnee's aggressive behavior, Emerald casually shrugged her shoulders as she continued to click keys on her keyboard, still not taking her eyes off the computer screen. "I don't know, you tell me. YOU'RE the one who keeps burning a hole at the back of my head. Are my actions right now too _**criminally involved**_ for you?"

"T-That's not what I-" The young Schnee groaned in frustration, scrunching up the sports magazine in her hands. Why was it so hard to apologize? From the way things are heading, the fight between them was only going to escalate and keep getting worse from there.

"What's wrong, Ice Queen? Cat got your tongue?" The greenlette taunted, ignoring her video game to give Weiss her full "attention".

"I'm sorry."

"Excuse me?" Emerald perked up a bit, debating whether or not she heard the heiress correctly.

 **It's now or never. I might as well as swallow my pride and get this over with...** Weiss sighed in defeat, dropping the magazine on the counter as she was gathering her thoughts. "I said, I'm sorry. On that night, I shouldn't have falsely accused you for every little thing, regardless of your bad habits. That was wrong of me. I guess I'm still a bit bitter over our first meeting to the point where it solidified my bad impression of you and I was too proud to apologize, let alone admit that I was...mistaken." She then took a deep breath, and she begrudgingly continued. " _We're sisters,_ and we shouldn't fight. So, can you forgive me?"

The thief's red eyes widened in surprise, totally not expecting this sudden terms of events. Who would've thought that Weiss Schnee was going to apologize and admit that she was actually wrong to her of all people?

 **Either, I slept on the wrong side of the bed last night...or the world must be ending? Let's go with the latter.** Emerald inwardly groaned. **Man, I'm really not good with this sorry-mushy stuff...**

The greenlette crossed her arms, and Weiss could've sworn she saw the faintest hint of a blush to tint Emerald's cheeks, but even if the heiress were to point out this fact the thief would be in complete denial.

"Yeah, sure, whatever... Apology accepted." Emerald stammered awkwardly. She then dared to add, "Though, to be fair, you were the biggest bitch out of the two of us so..."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" The heiress exclaimed in pure outrage. "I practically poured my heart and soul into that apology only for you to deliberately throw it back to my face!"

"I didn't even know you had one of those..." The thief bluntly commented, back to her usual self.

Weiss practically exploded by hearing that remark. "You _**INSUFFERABLE**_ little...!"

Luckily, before a bombing could take place, Winter stepped out of her office.

"Esmeralda...!" The former cop called out to Emerald in a warning tone. "Are you picking on Weiss again?"

"Me? Never." The greenlette answered innocently, probably too innocently for the Schnee sister's standards. "I was just showing the Princess a new move I mastered in _Kung Fu Ninja Slayer._ She was getting mad for me in my stead." She reassured the eldest Schnee, sending off a knowing wink towards Weiss. "Isn't that right, sissy?"

"I...suppose." The young Schnee growled out in response, crossing her arms. **I guess everything's okay between us then? Oh, whatever, if we're not at each others throats anymore then that's fine by me.** She mentally conceded.

Regardless of their words, Winter didn't seem convinced. "I don't get it. While I was in my office, you girls were practically screaming like banshees, but now you're telling me that everything's fine? Forgive me for saying so, but something is definitely fishy..."

"Just harmless sisterly bonding!" Emerald summarized.

Before Winter could even continue with her interrogation, Weiss surprisingly came to her adoptive sister's rescue.

"We already told you that everything's alright." The heiress insisted, and she then followed up with an input. "Now that you're here though, you can enlighten me: _**Who's. The. Groom?**_ "

"You're still salty about your abandonment, aren't you?" The former cop eyed her little sister with amusement.

"Very much so, yes." Weiss answered. **I just _love_ how she dodged the question. Heck, I'm starting to think that her husband is imaginary! Though, that wedding band of hers is no joke.**

Unfortunately, the young Schnee couldn't push her older sister further as the revolving doors in the lobby showed signs of activity, signifying that a guest had passed through...

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe we're already here!"

A fair-skinned young girl with silver eyes and black, neck-length hair that gradates to dark red at the tips walked through the lobby with her pet dog. She wore a bright red hoodie, denim shorts, and a pair of black boots.

The young teenager looked around the foyer as if she was in a unknown land, being amazed by just staring at the expensive décor. She took a deep breath, only to release it soon afterwards. "Oh Zwei, don't you just love that 'new hotel smell'? You know what I'm talking about, don't you boy?"

Zwei is a black headed tricolor Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Like some Pembroke Welsh Corgis, he has a bobbed tail, which is nowhere near the length that would indicate him as being a Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

A bark of confirmation was heard from the girl's pet as he sniffed around his surroundings, and soon Zwei made his way towards the carpet. Like most dogs, the Corgi proceeded to drag his furry posterior across the rug.

The red hooded girl giggled, amused by her pet's antics. "That's the spirit Zwei! You go get that itch!"

From behind front desk, Weiss was having a heart attack from witnessing this display, resisting the urge of assaulting her soon-to-be-guest in front of witnesses. **No, it's okay, it's only a** _ **WHITE**_ **carpet...!**

"Ruby."

Weiss' as well as the hooded girl's attention were directed towards the revolving doors as someone else walked through the lobby while hauling around two suitcases.

This newcomer was a young fair-skinned woman with lilac eyes and bright golden hair worn loose that fades to pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out at the top of her head. The blonde wore aviators to obscure her eyes, an orange scarf wrapped around her neck, a yellow tank top though her ample breasts were noticeable and looked like they were going to spill out at any moment if she wasn't careful, black shorts, and a pair of flip-flops.

"Oh, hey Yang!" Ruby waved hello to her older sister. "Glad to see that you joined me!"

Yang pulled up their luggage next to a couch as she turned to address her teenage sister, giving her a look. "Ruby, how many times do I have to tell you to not wander off?"

The hooded girl pouted, giving the blonde a blank stare. "I thought that you were here to join me, not to be a drag."

"Oh, I'm a drag, am I?" The older sister repeated amusingly, though there was no playfulness in her tone as she took off her aviator glasses, challenging her sister's stare off. "Then, how about you try to be more helpful next time kiddo? Instead of, you know, getting off the vehicle and make your way inside the lobby when you could kindly help me and the others with our bags...!"

Being stomped with verbal truth, Ruby pulled up her hood over her head in shame, tightening the strings of her hoodie in a vain attempt to hide her face from view. "I'm sorry..."

Ultimately, the hooded girl's adorableness must've won since Yang's stern facade melted away within seconds.

The blonde sighed, passing a hand through her messy locks. "What am I going to do with you Rubes?"

Ruby whined as if imitating a small puppy as she cuddled up to her older sister, leaning her head against Yang's shoulder while showing the cutest puppy-dog eyes the blonde has ever seen.

"Alright, alright, you're forgiven Rubes." Yang chuckled as she hugged her little sister, admitting defeat. "Stop with the guilt tripping, would ya?"

"I'm glad that you agree, my darling sister!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly, breaking off from the embrace. Her adorable puppy-dog act now over. "I can't wait for this vacation to officially start!"

" _It looks like I let you off the hook too easily, oh well..."_ The blonde murmured.

Soon enough, two more women passed through the revolving doors walked through the lobby to meet the sisters. Both of them were redheads. One of them wore her hair in a waist-length ponytail, curled lightly into a loose ringlet as well as green-vivid eyes. Her clothes consisted of a simple red t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers. While her companion has short orange hair and aqua colored eyes, and her attire consisted of a black meme t-shirt that said "Curls For The Girls", pink sweatpants, and a pair of tennis shoes.

"Hiya ladies, fancy seeing you here!" The orangette hollered in greeting to the sisters.

Ruby did jazz hands in excitement. "I know, isn't it great Nora?!" She then looked towards the redhead. "Hey Pyrrha, are you as enthusiastic as we are?!"

Pyrrha stifled a giggle at the back of her hand. "Yes, I certainly am. I can't wait to relax."

"And fun, don't forget to have fun." Yang added.

Nora scoffed in blasphemy at hearing the blonde's input. "Of course not! That's the whole reason we're here! To have fun!"

"I know that, you goofball, I mostly said it for Pyrrha's benefit." Yang explained.

"OH!" The orangette lightly slammed her left fist into her right hand, a light bulb going off on her head in understanding. "Now~ It makes sense."

At front desk, Winter chuckled in amusement as both Weiss and Emerald watched their soon-to-be guests chatting animatedly with one another.

"Looks like I'm going to have to inform father that Ms. Coco Adel and her posse have arrived." The former cop informed her sisters as she was about to depart, but not before she laid a hand on the heiress' shoulder. "You better prepare yourself, Weiss. Mentally and physically for the next two weeks. We have a _**long**_ road ahead of us..."

And with that, Winter left her parting words as she took her leave from front desk. "Esmeralda, you know what do to."

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald spoke in affirmative, stretching out her arms and her back as she leaned back a bit on her office chair. She then looked off to side at the calendar. "Man, I can't believe that it's that time of the month again..." The thief remarked in surprise, amazed on how time flies.

Meanwhile the young Schnee's mind was in turmoil, trying to figure out the meaning behind her Winter's words. **What does she mean that I have to prepare myself? Mentally and physically? For the next two weeks at that... A-Am I going to some sort of war? This job is easy, right? ...Right?**

* * *

 **A/N2: PHEW! And that is it for chapter 2 folks! Now, before we go any further, let me drop a couple of quick notes for this particular chapter...**

 **Number 1 – The character that was referred to as Mr. Gorim is that frail, old man that you see constantly working at different establishments in the RWBY series. My sisters and I call him that as a little joke between us involving a different series that we're into.**

 **Number 2 – Neo's nickname shall permanently be VanillaCocoPink! I personally found it hilarious when I was talking/more or less rehearsing out that particular scene with my little sister, I merely pointed at three spots of my hair while pretending to be Neo while my baby sister was acting as Weiss when all of a sudden my little sister mumbled out "VanillaCocoPink..!", and so that's how that comedy gold (At least, I personally think so) came to be! I just totally fell in love with it.**

 **Also, yes, Neo actually talks in this story. She just likes to pretend to be mute just for the Hell of it to mess around with people. There's an actual reason for it, but that will be explored on a later chapter. Plus, admittedly, it made that bar scene MUCH easier for me to write because I felt awkward trying to write it with Neo just using sign language/gestures the entire time.**

 **Number 3 – The HHBP matches stands for "Hunter & Huntresses Battle Preliminaries". Think of it as a wrestling sport/basically the Vytal Festival Tournament, but all year round and the hype for this particular sport is the same equivalent as Football with their Superbowl games is in America. I came up with it out of the blue and I thought that it would be an interesting add on for this AU for Pyrrha and Cardin being the veteran participants.**

 **Number 4 – With the ending of this chapter stating the obvious, we will finally see Ruby and the others finally making their appearances/shenanigans as well as three, possibly four, hints/start ups on some of the romance ships for the next chapter! STAY TUNED!**

 **So, what do you guys think so far? Like I said before, the amount of support I received from chapter 1 alone was just incredible. Your comments in your reviews as well as the faves and the follows are just wonderful and they really make my day! Hopefully, this little fan base for this story will grow with time. Please, please, PLEASE spread the love! Recommend this story to your friends! And just as I mentioned in chapter 1 you can show your support for this story by reviewing, adding it to you favorites, and following this story is fine too!**

 **PS. I ultimately decided to update this story every two-three months to make my writing time more manageable/to give myself more room for inspiration. And in return, my fellow readers will receive long-lengthy chapters just like this as a reward for your kind patience. Until next time! XD**


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